Wanzhou Station of Reservoir Eco-environment Monitoring----INSTITUTE OF MOUNTAIN HAZAPDS AND ENVIRONMENT CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Wanzhou Key Regional Ecology and Environment Monitoring Station (WREEMS) is a component of the Three-Gorges-Project Ecology and Environment Monitoring Systems administrated by the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee Office of Chinese State Council. It was built in 1997 at Lishu Village, Changling Township, Wanzhou Distrct, Chongqing City by Chengdu Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources.

WREEMS is located in the central south of the Yangtze Three Gorges Reservoir Area at 108 ° 30'E and 30 ° 45'N with an elevation of 265m, where geographically characterizes as hilly terrains and low mountains, exposing with Jurassic Shaximiao and Penglaizhen strata which form the purple soil. The climate there is typical of subtropical humid monsoon classification with an average annual temperature 14-19 ° C, average annual precipitation 1000-1350mm and average annual sunshine hours 1300-1600hr. Regional vegetation is characteristic of evergreen broad-leaved forests.

WREEMS covers an area of 0.6 hactorm, which holds a Multifunctional building (400 square meters), a local observatory, five slope runoff plots and an experimental garden for fruit tree introduction(0.3 hectar). In the nearby Chenjiagou small watershed, there are 2 big natural runoff plots, 3 branch sediment measuring plots, 1 hydrological observing station and 1 demo-base (10 hectars) permanently built as an organic monitoring network for systematical studies.


Observatory Station	Standard Runoff Plot

Natural Runoff Plot	Branch Hydrological Measuring Station

(1) soil erosion monitoring: it focuses on monitoring changes of runoff and sediment and its dynamics within the small watershed and changes of related land-use covers, changes of local climate, changes of local vegetation and changes of other ecological factors. Through setting up slope runoff plots, rill plots and controlling sections in the small watershed, slope erosion and its correlationship to sediment yield, sediment transfer and dynamics will be monitored and analyzed within the purple soils in the Reservior area.

(2) Non-point pollution monitoring: thorugh systimatcally monitoring soil nutrients, pesticides and fertilization in runoffs and suspended sediment which carry away the nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients and pesticides, WREEMS will analyze the changes on non-point pollution,sediment storage and hazards derived from the pollutants in purple soil in the central area of the Three Gorges Reservoir.

(3) Immigration and socio-economic follow-up survey: it conducts a sentinel survey on changes production, living, income, community and socio-economic status with the migrants and farmers in central reservoir and on impacts of the Resettlement Project on the ecology-environment –society complexity so as to provide important information for decision making and policy recommendations.

(4) Experiment and demonstration on mountainous eco-agriculture and restoration and reconstruction of degraded ecosystems: Experiemental and demonstrative areas have been set up for developing mountainous eco-agriculture models and examples for restoring and reconstructing degraded watershed ecosystems in order to monitor their ecological and economic benefits, which can be references for expanding resettlements, recservior Ecology and technical extension.

According to the operational requirements of the Three-Gorges-Project Ecology and Environment monitoring systems, WREEMS is positioned to mainly study ecological and environmental changes within the watershed via a long-term monitoring on ecological,

environmental and social impacts of the Farmer Resettlement Project on the central area , and the off bank area of the Reservoir. Meanwhile, it is set up to test and develop mountainous eco-agriculture and restoration and reconstruction degraded watershed ecosystems. Its objective is to provide important monitoring data and recommendations for secure operation of the Three Gorges Project in the environmental protection, farmer resettlement and ecological and environmental construction.

monitoring and assessment on ecological and environmental changes in the Reservoir area;

Developing and integrating techniques for high-efficient eco-agriculture and ecological and environmental protection;

Socio-economic and environmental impact assessment of the Farmer Resettlement and Industrial Reconstruction in the Reservoir areas;

So far, WREEMS has a research team comprising 12 employees, who are 5 research professors, 3 assiciate researchers, 3 research assistants. There are 4 PH.D students, 8 postgraduates and 3 local technicians working for observations and experiments.

Since 1997, WREEMS has undertaken 18 research projects and published about 50 academic papers. The fufilled or on-going proejcts include: "Study on testing and demonstrating eco-agriculture and environment protection in the Three Gorges reservoir area " (Intellectual Innovation Project from Chinese Academy of Sciences), "Study and demonstration on eco-agriculture in the Three Gorges reservoir area " (Project from Ministry of Science and Technology), "Study on monitoring on Wanxian Ecological Environment Experiment Station"(project from the Chinese Three Gorges Project Construction Committee)," Study on experiment and demonstration on eco-agriculture engineering in the Three Gorges reservoir area "(project from Chongqing )," Study on harnessing models and decision-making Support System in waste watersheds in the Three Gorges reservior area)( key project from Chongqing),"Study on reproduction of new fruit varieties and SOP application in the Three Gorges reservoir area "(Western Light Project from Chinese Academy of Sciences) and so on.

WREEMS focuses on devloping key techniques for mountainous eco-agriculture models, dry slope improvement and utilization, ecological planting, crop variety improvement, fruit variety development, ecological restoration and soil conservation, etc. It has accumulated a wealth of scientific and technological research data. Parts of the achievements have been applied in Wanzhou, Kaixian and other places on a large scale and also acquired outstanding economic, ecological and social benefits.