PU signs MoU with CAS, China

Lahore: Punjab University Department of Zoology and Institute of Mountain Hazard and Environment (IMHE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In this regard, PU team headed by Chairman Department of Zoology Prof Dr Muhammad Akhter has visited Chengdu, China. On this occasion, PU’s Dr Zulfiqar Ali, Prof. Deng Wei, President of CAS, Prof. Wang Xiaodon, and Zhang Ning, Deputy Director of Mountain and Cooperation Department of the Science and Technology were present. 

Both parties agreed to cooperate in a spirit of mutual understanding and goodwill and to strengthen the ties of partnership with the cooperative activities like joint research program; collaboration on individual research projects of mutual interests and the study of techniques and methods; training of individual scientists through participation in collaborative projects; exchange visits of individual scientists; exchange of scientific and technical information; joint Party of symposia, conferences, workshops and lectures. Prof. Deng said that this MoU is a solid step forward towards technology cooperation framework agreement, which marks the IMHE “strategy in South Asia”.

The specific areas of cooperation may include in present- and paleo-ecosystems in mountainous area, biogeochemical process in mountainous area and its lowland, vegetation dynamics response to climate changes, soil erosion and transporting mechanisms in mountain area and their effect on lowlands, Debris flow and land slide due to heavy rainfall and earthquake, joint symposium on geological hazards and eco-environmental change, aerosols and particulate matter study in comparison of ambient and indoor conditions and other areas.

PU Vice Chancellor Prof. Mujahid Kamran and Prof. Deng Wei President of Chinese Academy of Sciences have appreciated in developing such a useful link between PU and CAS.  Many of the department from PU can make collaborative projects with CAS professors and can win scholarships for students/researchers with joint recommendations.

Three students from Department of Zoology has been already benefited with PhD scholarship with this link.  Vice Chancellor Dr. Mujahid Kamran and Prof. Deng Wei also appreciated the work of Dr. Zulfiqar Ali and Dr. Weilong Lui under the supervision of Prof. Wang Xiaodon. Dr. Zulfiqar has been honored to join CAS as foreign expert (March 2014 to September 2014) at Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, to initiate a collaborative work for the research to study climate change that is one of the main challenge to the region as including Pakistan that will face in the near future.

In this context this joint venture of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Punjab University will contribute in reducing the impacts of climate change through the development of the adequate conservation policies and actions within protected areas especially alpine wetlands.