During 22-23 March, 2021, the UNEP-NSFC international cooperation project titled “Research on Global Biomass Resources Sustainability and Climate Change Adaptive Management Mechanism” was officially launched in Beijing. More than 30 representatives from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), project consultation board, project core team and universities participated in the meeting. UN Environment Programme-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP) joined the meeting as one of the leading research teams for the project.

In the opening session of the kick-off meeting, Liexun Yang, Deputy Director of the Management Science Department of NSFC, congratulated on the official launch of the project and expresses guiding suggestions for the implementation plan of the project. Director Linxiu Zhang of UNEP-IEMP, as the principal investigator (PI) of the project from UNEP side, delivered a speech on the background of the UNEP-NSFC cooperation, the necessity and importance of the project research topic, and the future development of the project, and expressed her gratitude for the support of the participants. As the PI of the project from Chinese side, Professor Wang Yutao from Fudan University reported the background of the project. Then, the chief expert of the project consultant team, Professor Yonglong Lu of Xiamen University, and other experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, Shandong University and other research institutions and universities provided their suggestions on the project implementation plan from the following aspects: the selection of project focus, the expansion of innovative ideas, the adjustment of scenario design and the refinement of expected results. Finally, Jiangtao Li, Section Chief of the Management Science Department of NSFC, shared his guidance and suggestions on the report of the project implementation plan and made a concluding speech.

This project is one of the UNEP-NSFC international cooperation projects approved and jointly supported by NSFC and UNEP in 2020. The project is led by the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Fudan University and UNEP-IEMP, and jointly implemented with the Institute of Geographical Sciences and resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, De La Salle University in the Philippines, Groningen University in the Netherlands, Paulista University in Brazil, the University of Maryland in the United States, University College London in the United Kingdom and other relevant scholars. The project is a cross-regional cooperation study on the theme of global biomass resources sustainability and climate change adaptation management mechanism, which will be carried out for 5 years from January 2021 to December 2025.

At present, China has incorporated the two carbon emission goals of peaking by 2030 and achieving carbon neutralization by 2060 into the overall plan of the ecological civilization development. The sustainable utilization of biomass resources will play a key role in achieving the emission goals. In addition, the challenges to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as global food and food security, responsible consumption and production, climate change emission reduction, and sustainable energy are closely related to the research topic of this project. The expected research results of the project will contribute to the joint efforts among relevant countries on climate change adaptation, achieving socio-economic and ecological transformation, enhanced climate resilience and adaptability, and attainment of the SDGs.

Liexun Yang, Deputy Director of the Management Science Department of NSFC delivering the opening remark

UNEP-IEMP Director Linxiu Zhang speaking at the kick-off meeting

Chief expert of the project consultant team, Professor Yonglong Lu of Xiamen University, providing suggestions for the project

Jiangtao Li, Section Chief of the Management Science Department of NSFC making the concluding speech

Professor Yutao Wang from Fudan University presenting the background of the project

Representatives from NSFC and the project team and experts at the kick-off meeting