My main research interests are conservation biology, integrated socio-ecological and cultural research, policy research and promotion, community-based conservation practices, and civil society capacity building. I studied at Peking University from 1981 (undergraduate, biology) through 1992 (PhD, animal ecology). Then, I spent three years in the United States doing postdoc research on conservation genetics at the National Institutes of Health (1992-1995). I took a fellowship at Harvard University Center for Population and Development (2000-2001) and taught at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies as a visiting professor (2001-2002).
My research covers multiple disciplinary fields and deals with the complex sustainability issues for Chinese society and promoting China’s positive influence on the world. The field projects include the ecosystem services of forests and grasslands, the community-based conservation and practical solutions to the co-existence of wildlife and humans, and natural history and conservation strategies of endangered species such as the giant panda, the snow leopard, the Przewalski’s gazelle, and the Tibetan brown bear. In recent years, I have focused on the interaction of natural ecosystems with human socio-economic-cultural systems, local community-based conservation studies, and studies on the impact of related policies and the effectiveness of conservation practices. Studies on mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in urban and farmland systems and on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the Medog and Yarlung Tsangpo regions of Tibet.
On forest ecosystems, my team is interested in applying interdisciplinary and integrated research pilot practices to improve biodiversity and ecosystem services of China's afforestation. The intention is to enhance domestic timber supply, thus potentially reducing China's footprints globally. Our ongoing projects include biodiversity assessments of monoculture plantations and policies to restore biodiversity and ultimately promote policy changes.
Advisory Board member of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)
Founder of the Shan Shui Conservation Center
Editorial roles:
Editor, Conservation Biology & Conservation Letters
Associate Editor, Biodiversity Science
Editorial Board, Integrative Conservation
