The national standard (GB/T 40053) promotion event and the launch meeting for the establishment of the forest ecosystem field scientific observation and research station in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river valley, Tibet (hereinafter referred to as the "Motuo Forest Field Station") was held in Motuo County, Nyingchi City on March 2-5.
The event was organized by the China Forest Ecosystem Research Network (CFERN) and co-hosted by Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) and the Motuo County Forestry and Grassland Bureau.
Located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, Motuo County is globally significant, hosting the world's highest-latitude, best-preserved tropical monsoon rainforest and a complete vertical forest belt spectrum. It stands as a core area of the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot.
Since 2020, XTBG has conducted over 20 systematic field expeditions, establishing six hectare-scale permanent forest plots and installing automatic soil temperature and moisture monitoring equipment. It serves as the lead technical support unit and is responsible for the station's scientific planning and technical system development, and will oversee its operation, long-term observation, and future research initiatives.
Prof. Song Liang of XTBG presented the station's development plan, detailing the observation network design and scientific objectives based on prior baseline surveys.
According to the expert panel, the Motuo Forest Field Station, with its integrated long-term observation network spanning an altitude gradient from 500 to 3,500 meters, holds immense scientific value for understanding the carbon sink functions of tropical monsoon rainforests and the mechanisms sustaining their rich biodiversity.
Motuo forest filed station will be a long-term forest ecosystem observation node of CFERN on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau .Once fully operational, it will establish capabilities for continuous monitoring of hydrological, soil, atmospheric, and biological factors.
National standard promotion meeting.
Prof. Song Liang presents the station development plan.
Plate unveiling ceremony.
Field investigation.
