About us

The Center for Integrative Conservation

  • date:2024-05-16
  • views:0

What is the Center for Integrative Conservation?

for Integrative Conservation (CIC) was established in 2012 to bring together scientists at XTBG working on topics related to the conservation of species and ecosystems. It aims to combine and coordinate state-of-the-art techniques in ecology, biogeography, climate change biology, systematic, genomics, remote sensing, and spatial modeling into an effective tool for conservation. The main focus is on tropical China and Southeast Asia, but the CIC also aims to contribute to national and global conservation strategies. The major outputs from the Center include scientific publications, demonstration projects, practical advice, technical training, and policy papers for the government. CIC consists of seven Research Groups and the XTBG Herbarium (HITBC), covering a range of disciplines, including plant taxonomy, animal ecology, biogeography and phylogeny. The XTBG Herbarium (HITBC) combines practical support roles with its own research.CenterThe

 

What is Integrative Conservation?

A dictionary definition of the word integrative is ‘combining and coordinating diverse elements into a whole’. Integrative Conservation therefore aims to combine and coordinate the diverse elements of biological conservation into an effective tool for protecting species and ecosystems. These elements include traditional ecological field studies, biogeography and systematics, remote sensing, molecular genetics and metagenomics, mathematical modelling, and environmental education.

 

Who is in the Center?
Former Directors: 
Professor Lixing Gao (2012.6-2019.4),his major research interests include biodiversity conservation and terrestrial ecology in tropical East Asia, plant-animal interactions, and the impacts of climate change;
Professor Ruichang Quan (2019.4-2023.12)

Until Dec.31, 2023, there are 36 staff in the CIC, including 10 professors. The current CIC Director is Professor Yunhong Tan, and Professor Kyle Tomlinson is the Deputy Director:

 

 

 

 

Why does XTBG need a Center for Integrative Conservation?

will also support the expansion of existing efforts in environmental education.Center will give conservation science a similar influence and reputation. The CenterConservation has been a major focus for XTBG throughout its 53-year history, but the recent transformation of much of the natural forest in the vicinity of the Gardens into monoculture rubber plantations has highlighted the urgency of conservation action in one of China’s major biodiversity hotspots. XTBG is currently better known for its research in forest ecology and plant resource sciences, but it is intended that the

 

 

 

 

What the representative projects is the Center involved?

collections (in the seed bank and living collections) at the species most needing attention. And now CIC works on status, trends, threats and conservation in limestone karst in tropical China. The project is intended to produce a complete and up-to-date karst map and biological database, which will include complete vascular plants and vertebrates, and highlight threatened species.ex situThe major initiative was the ‘Zero Extinction Project’, which aimed to prevent extinctions in Xishuangbanna’s diverse native flora by assessing conservation needs, identifying forest fragments worthy of protection, and targeting the Garden’s.