There are seventeen scientific researchers in the Center of Development Research in Mountainous Area, including six researchers, five associate researchers, three doctor tutors, two post doctors, three doctors, and five doctoral students in office. It consists of five discipline groups, which are respectively resources and utilization in mountainous area, towns and settlements in mountainous area, industrial construction and balanced development in mountainous area, landscape and tourism in mountainous area, and ecological environment change and management in large-scale reservoir area.

1 Discipline localization of center of development research in Mountainous Area

 Facing the national mountainous area strategic demand of scientific development, taking the mountainous area sustainable development as the goal, regarding the key scientific issues of the spatial pattern and processes about Man-Land Relationship Regional System in mountainous area, the Center of Development Research in Mountainous Area carries out the mountainous area developmental strategy research in China, develops the basic, strategic and forward-looking researches in these aspects of resource development and protection, industrial development, construction of mountain towns and settlements and other areas, and also establishes the  theoretical system of mountain development in order to provide the scientific and technical support for the national mountainous area development.

2 Research foundation and innovation goal of main research direction

2.1 Resources and utilization in mountainous area

2.1.1 Orientation

Through the support of the national "Tenth Five-Year" science and technology research projects, "Eleventh Five-Year" high-tech industrialization projects of National Development and Reform Commission and the projects of Sichuan Science and Technology Agency, this research direction has initially formed the mountain resources development and utilization patterns and technology system, which is focused on the research and development of special biological resources, and established the systems theory and technology system that is the combination of the choice of species to develop from regional bio-resource, the prioritization of species to develop, the development timing plan, the R & D of development technology, the design of industrialization development model, bio-resource development and regional ecological environment construction.

The development objective of this research direction is establishing the development techniques and the theoretical system of mountain bio-resources which is Characterized by ecology  conservation-oriented.

2.1.2 Research achievements

The national "Tenth Five-Year" science and technology research project, “Comprehensive Development and Demonstration of characteristic biological resources in Panxi region” undertaken by this research direction won the second-class Science and Technology Awards of Sichuan Province in 2007.Also, this research direction has completed two monographs and published over 30 relational academic articles.

2.1.3 On-going major projects

① National Eleventh Five-Year Support Project: Production Technology System Research and Demonstration of Environmental Protection Agriculture in Suburb under the Rice-Vegetable Rotation Mode

②Public Project of Ministry of Water Resources:The Assessment of River Health Situation in Minjiang Watershed and the Study on Technical Measures about River Ecological Restoration Technical

③ Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction project: Development Planning of Agricultural Industrialization in Maoxian

④ National high-tech industrialization project " high-tech industrialization demonstration project of rose oil for exports in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture ,Sichuan”

2.2 Towns and settlements in mountainous area

2.2.1 Objectives of scientific research

Facing the macroscopic background of our country at the fast urbanization stage, considering the strategic demands of urban and rural balanced development and socialism new countryside construction, taking “the 21st century new mountainous area” ideal as the goal, basing on the southwest mountainous area, taking the man and land relationship research as the foundation, centering on the key scientific question of space pattern and process of towns and settlements in mountainous area, this research direction develops not only basic researches in these aspects of pattern, structure and evolutionary process of town and settlements in mountainous area and so on, but also some basic researches for application in these aspects of human-living environment in mountainous area, spatial arrangement of towns and settlements, suitable population capacity and demography transition, urban and rural public product supplies etc., builds the theoretical system of towns and settlements research in mountainous area, so as to play the important role of scientific and technological support in the national population, towns and settlements of mountainous area.

2.2.2 Research achievements

This research direction has completed two monographs and four doctoral dissertations, and also published over 30 relational academic articles, five of which have been recorded by SCI and EI. 2.2.3 On-going major projects

① Major project of Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission-- Resources and Environment Carrying Capacity Assessment in Sichuan Province ,2008-2010

②Key directional project of knowledge innovation of CAS -- Assessment of Resources and Environment Security Situation and Support Potential in Southwest Mountainous Areas,2009-2011

③Key project in "Western Light" talent development program of CAS –-“ A Study of Indicator System and Model about The New Rural Construction in Sichuan Province”,2009-2011

2.3Industrial construction and balanced development in mountainous areas

2.3.1 Development objectives

(1)Objectives of disciplinary construction

To improve, strengthen and concentrate on industrial construction and balanced development in mountainous areas based on the construction framework of discipline system for mountain science, to develop foundational, foresightedness and the strategic research of industrial economic effect, industrial ecology efficiency, industrial environment response, industrial spatial differentiation and sustainability in mountainous areas, and to gradually promote the supporting role of industrial construction and balanced development in the construction of discipline system for mountain science and mountainous development science.

(2)Objectives of team construction

To gradually develop a core research group with 5-8 members, guide the members to focus on the direction of discipline, theoretical frontier and national demands, constantly optimize the structure of research group and increasingly improve competitiveness of research group by taking the supporting role of industrial construction and balanced development in mountain sustainability as the guidance.

(3) Objectives of scientific research

To enlarge the research perspectives and improve the international cognitive level of industrial construction and balanced development in mountainous areas by means of international cooperation and papers published internationally; to give prominence to the main aspect and gradually expand the domestic effect of industrial construction and balanced development in mountainous areas by means of various national projects; to increasingly strengthen the technical supporting role and decision-making consulting capacity of industrial construction and balanced development in mountainous areas by means of local cooperation.

2.3.2 Orientation of research

(1) Research on industrial ecology and regional sustainability in mountainous areas;

(2) Research on resource appreciation and community management on the premise of harmonious man-land relationship;

(3) Research on climate change vulnerability and industrial economic adaptability in mountainous areas;

2.3.3Research achievements

(1) Held and participated more than 40 different research projects;

(2) Published nearly 100 papers, among which 9 papers were cited by SCI, 3 by SSCI, 3 by EI and 2 by ISTP (including repetitive retrieval).

(3) Worked out 2 works, had 2 coauthored works and participated in compiling of 9 works;

(4) Gained a Third Prize of Science and Technology Progress Award in Tibet Autonomous Region, 6 awards of various excellent papers, an award of “three 100s” outstanding book and a team fist award of Sichuan Philosophy and Social Science.

2.3.4 On-going major projects

(1) Fang Yiping, National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Plan), Research on vulnerability of ecosystem in the source regions of Yangtze, Yellow Rivers and its adaptation strategy;

(2) Fang Yiping, Directional project of knowledge innovation program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Research on environmental security of mountainous resource and carrying capacity of industry in Southwest China;

(3) Fang Yiping, The National Natural Science Fund, Research on ecological adaptation of urban industrial system in mountainous areas and its regional policy effect.

2.4Mountain Tourismscape Program

Mountain Tourismscape Program(MTsP) is newly constituted a research groupe under startup of the Third Knowledge Innovation Project, although paralleled research had existed in IMDE for more than 20 years. These past research projects covered: 1) the famous heritage appraisement on Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong and Grant Panda Habit, which had subsequently been recorded in World Nature Heritage List. 2) Tourism planning in various levels of administration region covering from Tibet Municipality to the scale of city, town, and scenic site. 3) Tourism development strategies, such as eco-tourism, tourist small town, and scientific tourism destination et al. MTsP is aimed to strengthen and improve the research abilities in such subjects in IMDE and to construct the theory and methodology on the evolvement mechanism of mountain tourismscape space and morphology. Its tasks in the Third Knowledge Innovation Project founded by Chinese Academy of Sciences includs 3 points. 1) Statup a key program on description and modeling of mountain tourismscape space and its formaton processes; 2) and to invite excellent scientists interested in this field to join in this research in fixed or unfixed position; 3) preparation to form spatial information laboratory of mountain tourismscape(SILOMTs) .

2.5Eco-environmental change and management in large-sized water reservoir impact area

2.5.1Subject

Based on the impact area of the Three Gorges Reservoir and other large-sized reservoirs in the upper Yangtze River Basin, we will focus on the ecological and environmental evolution and security early warning, technologies of controlling soil erosion and non-point source pollution, high-efficiency ecological agriculture and integration demonstration, ecosystem services and ecological compensation, ecosystem management modes in the reservoir area, etc. These researches will provide scientific and technological support for ecological security and socio-economic healthy development of the reservoir area, and lay down the foundation for the ecological research in special areas (e.g. the ecology of reservoir area).

2.5.2Objectives

(1)To establish the ecological theory and methods for assessment of ecological and environmental evolution in the reservoir area;

(2)To develop and deepen conservation ecology and restoration ecology research;

(3)To provide scientific support to the virtuous ecological cycle in large-sized reservoir areas in China.

2.5.3Key aspects of research in the near future

Establishing the monitoring and assessment model of ecological and environmental changes in the reservoir area;

Research on the influence of immigrants settlement and industrial 　reconstruction on regional socio-economy and environment in the reservoir area;

Technological integration of efficient ecological agriculture and ecological and environmental protection in the reservoir area;

Research on ecosystem services and ecological compensation standards.

3 Major research flat

4 Major Research achievements

The total numbers of the papers published by the staff in enroll and the mobile workers were about 480 articles, including 18 SCI papers and 20 EI papers. Since the 2nd knowledge innovation project, about 200 papers have been published, including 15 SCI papers and 19 EI papers. 15 monographs were published by the staff in enroll, including 9 monographs published after the 2nd knowledge innovation project.

Professor Chen Guojie had won the first-class Science and Technology Awards of CAS in 1987 and the second-class Natural Science Award of CAS in 1996. Professor Chen Guojie and Chen Zhijian had won the third-class Science and Technology Awards of CAS in 1993. Professor Chen Zhijian had won the second-class Science and Technology Awards of CAS in 1998. Professor Sun Chunjiang had won the second-class Science and Technology Awards of Sichuan Province in 2007.In addition, the employees of Mountain Development Research Division had also attained 9 items, 12 personnel times of provincial Science and Technology Awards.