The 25th International Conference on Environmental Indicators (ICEI) , was held in Beijing during July 27-29. The conference was organized by the International Society for Environmental Indicators (ISEI). It was co-hosted by the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) and the Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences — both under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences — among others. It attracted around 160 experts and scholars from 10 countries — including China, Finland, Russia, New Zealand, Italy, Ethiopia, Thailand and Nigeria, and so on.

Attendees get together for a group picture.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Li Zhaojun, the president of the 25th ICEI, vice president of the ISEI, and a professor at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Leading guests delivered speeches, welcoming people from around the world, including Zhi-Qing Lin, president of the ISEI and professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, USA. Others were Li Xin, head of the America and Oceania Division at the China Science and Technology Exchange Center, and Wang Haibo, director of the Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences.

Conference chair Li Zhaojun gives an opening speech.

This conference focused on the theme of Environmental Indicators in Sustainable Development — aiming to provide an interdisciplinary platform for global environmental indicator researchers and managers. The discussions centered on a wide range of topics, from traditional environmental quality and health indicators to emerging environmental issues — exploring the latest methods, technologies and analytical tools to address the complex challenges facing development and the environment today.

As a co-host, IARRP not only enhanced academic exchange and collaboration with international peers — but also further expanded IARRP's academic influence in the field of environmental science and engineering.