Academician of CAS, distinguished geographer, meteorologist; founder of the China’s modern geographic sciences and integrated survey of natural resources; Vice president of CAS, director of the former Institute of Geography, and director of the former Commission for Integrated Survey of Natural Resources, respectively. Zhu focused his research predominantly on population, resources, and the environment in China. He was one of the earliest scientists to raise the issue of sustainable development.
Academician of CAS, distinguished geographer, director-general of the former Institute of Geography from 1954 to 1984; an outstanding leader and organizer of modern geographic sciences in China. Huang pioneered and promoted the studies on water-heat balance, chemical geography and biogeography in China. He organized extensive and intensive studies on water conservation, integrated physical geographic division, and water-heat balance. He also promoted development of earth-system science and regional sustainable development.
Academician of CAS, founder of RS and GIS in China, pioneer of remote sensing application in China. Prof. Chen had long engaged in research in mapping sciences, notably geographic, aerial and automatic mapping. He pioneered and organized studies on the Geographic Information System. He contributed greatly to the development of geo-information science, digital Earth studies, and to the exploration of the new concept and method of “geo-informatics”.
Academician of CAS, distinguished geographer. As one of the founders of Chinese research on human and economic geography, Prof. Wu made outstanding contributions in the following fields – theoretical geography, agricultural geography, land use, regional development and management, and human-land relationship.
Outstanding ecologist. Prof. Yang, one of the founders of Chinese ecological studies. He developed classification systems for fir-trees, climate and soil, and techniques for enhancing tree growth. His research contribution to forestry ecology in China is outstanding.
Academician of CAS, one of the pioneers of China’s chemical geography, one of leading scholars on the relationship between the distribution of chemical elements and endemic diseases such as Keshan disease. He developed systematic theories on chemical geography and biogeochemistry and made outstanding contributions to environmental science and environmental protection in China.
Academician of CAE, outstanding ecologist. Prof. LI initiated studies on the geographic distribution of forests in the Tibetan Plateau and opened up a research field for ecosystems in the hilly red soil areas of South China. He led in research aimed at synthesizing the theoretical system for the complex operation of forest and farm plantations, and raised application model for this kind of compound management.
Outstanding resource scientist, leading scientist in agricultural and resource information engineering. Prof. SUN led two state key projects: the database and information system of land resources in the Loess Plateau, and the Chinese agricultural resources information system. He had pioneered the development of Chinese natural resource information management structure, coding system and modeling system for regional development.
