World Bank Representatives Investigate on Environmental Technical Assistance Program

World Bank, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) co-hosted the Completion workshop of China Environmental Technical Assistance Program on December 3-19, 2002. The representatives of World Bank visited CAS and the programs implemented by CAS and SEAP. Vice President Yiyu CHEN was present at the opening ceremony on December 3. Eight delegates led by Mr. Changtao HU, deputy division director from the China Branch of World Bank and Mr. Robert Crooks, director of World Bank Program Completion Supervision Team have participated in the workshop and visited the exhibition of three programs under CAS. All of these programs received favorable comments. The officers from World Bank have visited more than ten stations located in Kunming, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Changshu etc. and related sub-programs.

Sino-Japanese Symposium on Lipotes Vexillifer Protection Program Held in Wuhan

From December 10 to 12, 2002， Sino-Japanese Symposium on Lipotes Vexillifer Protection Program was held in the Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS in Wuhan. Experts from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Hubei Province, and Fishery Management Committee of the Yangtze River had talks with Mr. Hidehiro Kato, a Japanese expert from National Research Institute of Far Sea Fisheries, concerning Lipotes Vexillifer migratory protection program and project of catching it. Since Qiqi, the only human-raised Lipotes Vexillifer in the world left us in July 2002, Chinese scientists have decided to catch another one at Hubei part of the Yangtze River in 2003, in order to fill the blankness of research on artificial raising and captive breeding. Japan will fund the program of catching it and send technical staffs to offer instruction. And both sides signed a protocol of talks.