South China Botanical Garden hosts Fifth International Seminar on Biodiversity Conservation and Management, 3rd Symposium of Functional Food and Plant Metabolism (Linked to Record ID#72751 and #72760)

Project narrative

From November 13 to 28, 2017, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou hosted the 5th International Symposium on Biodiversity Conservation and Management. A total of 19 trainees, all of whom were scientific researchers in the fields of biodiversity conservation research and management, attended from the following countries: Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The course included seminars at the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院昆明植物研究所), the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院昆明动物研究所) and the Dongguan Botanical Garden (东莞植物园). Trainees, among other things, saw research fields at the Kunming Institute of Zoology and the seed bank at the Institute of Botany. They also participated in the 3rd International Symposium of Functional Food and Plant Metabolism (药食同源与植物代谢), which discussed recent developments in medicine, food homology, and plant metabolism, as well as their possible industrial applications. Lastly, they were introduced to elements of Chinese culture such as customs, the architecture of Guangzhou, and basics of the Chinese language. The purpose of the seminar was not only to educate about the subject matter and Chinese culture, but also to one, showcase scientific achievements of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other Chinese government research institutions and two, develop cooperation in the fields of ecology and biodiversity conservation among the countries involved. Project is linked to Record ID#72751 and #72760, the First and Fourth international seminars of this variety respectively.