The Committee for Long-Term Ecological Research (CLTER) was formally established in Beijing, China on 11 June, 2004. Prof. Zhao Shidong, who serves as chair of the East Asia and Pacific Regional Network of ILTER, was elected chair of the committee. Prof. Zhao, a member of the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will be assisted by five vice chairs and 37 ecological scientists who are members of the committee. Their term will last four years.
A total of 80 participants attended the launch, including managers and scientists from the Ecological Society of China, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the State Forestry Administration, the Chinese Academy of Agriculture, the China Meteorological Administration, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the East China Normal University, among other participants.
During the launch academician Jiang Youxu of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, gave a keynote presentation on the mission of ecology in 21st century while Prof. Zhao focused on the progress of international long-term ecological research. Members discussed the committee’s role and reached consensus on the work plans for 2004 and the next four years.
According to Prof. Zhao, CLTER is a cross-agency academic organization specializing in long-term ecological research at the national level and the first of its kind in the world. It aims to enhance the academic exchange and cooperation in long-term ecological research domestically and internationally, and contribute to sustainable development in China.
The Committee will operate under the auspices of the Ecological Society of China and has a secretariat at IGSNRR. For more information, please contact Mr. Lai Pengfei, A11 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. phone + 86 10 64889438, fax + 86 10 64868962, e-mail laipf@cern.ac.cn.
The Secretariat
The Committee for Long Term Ecological Research, the Ecological Society of China, Beijing, China.