Asia & the Pacific

China

• © UNESCO
• Lushan National Geopark

The People’s Republic of China hosts a UNESCO Cluster Office in Beijing, which covers China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea.

Due to its huge size, its location, and its topography, China’s ecosystems are as varied as they are numerous; it currently has 26 biosphere reserves and 18 national geoparks listed. Designated by UNESCO, a geopark is an area with a geological heritage of significance, with a coherent and strong management structure and where a sustainable economic development strategy is in place.

The International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation located in Beijing is operating under the auspices of UNESCO. It is devoted to scientific research and training in engineering to resolve erosion and sedimentation related issues.

Below you can access the projects that are currently being implemented in the Country within the framework of UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector.

Freshwater

- International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) established under the auspices of UNESCO

- International Sediment Initiative (ISI) case studies in the Yellow River Basin, and Haihe and Liaore Rivers More

- Sustainable Water Integrated Management-Education (SWIM-EDU)

- Weihe River Watershed: Strategy for Integrated Management More

- A pilot case study on Transboundary Aquifers in Asia - With Special Emphasis to China [PDF format - 1.06 MB]

- Asian Water and Development Information for Arid Lands – A Global Network (Asian G-WADI)

• Asian G-Wadi Pilot Basin: Heihe River Basin

- Asian Pacific Flow Regimes from the International Experimental and Network Data (Asian Pacific FRIEND)

- Hindu Kush HimalayanFlow Regimes from the International Experimental and Network Data (HKH FRIEND)

- UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Water Management, established in 2005 at Hohai University More

People, Biodiversity and Ecology

- Global Change and Mountain Regions (GLOCHAMORE)

- Biosphere Reserves (WNBRs)

- The Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands project (SUMAMAD)

- East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network (EABRN)

- Study on Sustainable Management Policy for China's Nature Reserve More

- Management of the Degraded Ecosystems in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve More

Oceans

- Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS)

Earth Sciences

National Geoparks

- Triassic Time and Trans-Panthalassan Correlations (IGCP, Project 467)

- Late Variscan terrestrial biotas and palaeoenvironments (IGCP, Project 469)

- Deltas in the Monsoon Asia-Pacific region (DeltaMAP, IGCP, Project 475)

- GIS metallogeny of Central Asia (IGCP, Project 473)

Images of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle (IGCP, Project 474)

- Monsoon evolution and tectonics-climate linkage in East Asia and its marginal seas during the late Cenozoic (IGCP, Project 476)

- Sustainable Use of Platinum Group Elements (IGCP, Project 479)

- Structural and Tectonic Correlation across the Central Asia Orogenic Collage: Implications for Continental Growth and Intracontinental Deformation (IGCP, Project 480)

- The role of Holocene environmental catastrophes in human history (IGCP, Project 490)

- Middle Palaeozoic vertebrate biogeography, palaeogeography and climate (IGCP, Project 491)

- Quaternary Land-Ocean Interactions (IGCP, Project 495)

- Devonian land-sea interaction: evolution of ecosystems and climate (IGCP, Project 499)

- Dryland Change: Past, Present, Future (IGCP, Project 500)

- Ordovician palaeogeography and palaeoclimate (IGCP, Project 503)

- Marine and Non-marine Jurassic: Global correlation and major geological events (IGCP, Project 506)

- Palaeoproterozoic Supercontinents and Global Evolution (IGCP, Project 509)

- Global correlation of A-type granites and related rocks, their mineralization, and significance in lithospheric evolution (IGCP, Project 510)

- Submarine Mass Movements and their Consequences (IGCP, Project 511)

- Neoproterozoic Ice Ages (IGCP Project 512)

- Karst Aquifers and Water Resources (IGCP, Project 513)

- Fluvial Palaeosystems: Evolution and Mineral Deposits (IGCP, Project 514)

- Geological Anatomy of East and South East Asia (IGCP, Project 516)

- Low-temperature thermochronology: applications and inter-laboratory calibration (IGCP, Project 543)

- Rapid Environmental/Climate Change in the Cretaceous Greenhous World: Ocean-Land Interaction (IGCP, Project 555)

Basic Sciences

- The University-Industry-Science Partnership (UNISPAR) in China More

Science Policy and Sustainable Development

- Establishing Science and Technology Parks More

- Science and Technology Policy Asian Network (STEPAN)

- UNESCO/ EOLSS Chair in Science and Technology Policies, established in 2001 at Zhongshan (Sun Yat-Sen) University, Guangzhou More

- UNESCO/UNIDO Chair in Clean Coal Technology, established in 1997 at The Clean Coal Engineering and Research Centre of Coal Industry (CCMRI), Central Coal Mining Research Institute More

Renewable and Alternative Energies

- Renewable Energy Development in China More