Inaugural Ceremony of the International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation – Sept 2023

Following the IPS Congress, the inaugural ceremony of the International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation at Dali University, China (http://www.icbpc.org), will be held on August 28th, including a 3-4 day field trip to visit primate conservation areas in Mt. Hengduan, near Tibet. The inaugural ceremony concludes with a feast on September 2nd, 2023.

Despite our best efforts, global conservation and environmental protection continue to face severe challenges. In an attempt to protect, study, and expand plant populations and ecological communities of threatened wild animals, a group of concerned conservation scientists, in conjunction with the Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research Institute, Dali University, China, have created the International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation. The Centre focuses on biodiversity conservation in Asia, including threatened and endangered primate species across India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nepal, and China – a regional hot spot for global conservation.

A primary goal of the Centre is to break down regional or national boundaries so that conservation initiatives can be conducted both within and across the borders of neighboring countries to better understand species-specific migration patterns and genetic exchange patterns. We aim to establish conservation projects that unite scientists, conservationists, governments, and citizens worldwide, which are database-driven and scientifically reviewed.

An expert team of international scientists will manage and oversee the activities of the Centre. The forthcoming executive committee includes scientists and conservationists from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Myanmar, Mexico, Nepal, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. Members of the executive committee will assess conservation and research proposals and oversee project progress.

This is an ideal opportunity to meet international primatologists, especially those from China, India, Myanmar, and Vietnam, to discuss potential cooperative projects in the region’s primate ecology, behavior, and evolution besides conservation and environmental protection.

For more details about attending the ceremony, please get in touch with Ruliang Pan (ruliang.pan@uwa.edu.au) in English and Zhipang Huang (huangzp@eastern-himalaya.cn) in Chinese.