Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KLABWE) and Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University (ARI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on research collaboration in Wuhan on Sept. 14, 2011.

Vice-director GONG Junjie on behalf of Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice Chancellor Ian O’Connor on behalf of ARI, Griffith University signed the MoU.

Signing of the MoU will facilitate the cooperation between the two parties and help carry out joint research projects on river and wetland science. According to the MoU, KLABWE and ARI will cooperate in promoting research collaboration in river and wetland science,monitoring and management. They will seek to facilitate exchange of academic papers, data and information. Both parties will support joint publication of high level academic papers in first class international journals and presentations at seminars and international conferences.

According to the MoU, the two sides will jointly appoint research staff through mutual agreements, and cooperate in training and supervision of graduate students. Both parties will extend research grants and funds to support visiting academic staff and postgraduate students under the MoU.

Located in Brisbane, Australia, ARI is committed to promoting a "whole-of-water-cycle" philosophy linking water catchment and river-coastal management to streamline access to a co-ordinated skills base, enhancing capacity building initiatives in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to improve the understanding of catchment, river, estuarine and coastal ecosystems, provide a creative and collaborative environment that fosters the next generation of ecosystem scientists, and provide knowledge to support the sustainable use and conservation of the world's natural resources.

 Group photot at signature ceremony (Image by WANG Nan)