The 2026 "Rooted in the Grassroots" research and practice delegation — from the Ministry of Science and Technology — on Sept 5 visited the Hulunbuir Grassland Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, located in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The delegation was led by Lu Fan, deputy director of the National Science & Technology Infrastructure Center, and Liu Shuang, deputy director of the science and technology department of the Inner Mongolian regional government. Participating in the visit were representatives of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Hulunbuir Science and Technology Bureau, the Hulunbuir State Farm and staff from the Hulunbuir field station.

At its exhibition hall, station director Xin Xiaoping delivered a detailed report covering seven key topics. It centered on the station's construction and development, scientific observation, experimental research, demonstration services, talent development, open sharing and future planning. He highlighted the achievements made over nearly 30 years of dedicated long-term fixed-point observations, rooted in the Hulunbuir meadow steppe.

Deputy director Lu Fan lauded the Hulunbuir station for its enduring commitment to the Hulunbuir grassland and its ongoing fixed-point observation research. He emphasized the fact that the Hulunbuir grassland was a critical part of China's northern ecological security barrier and was a key production base for green livestock products. As the sole national-level field station for long-term observation in the temperate meadow steppe, the Hulunbuir station is regarded as being an essential research base. Moreover, its continuous grassland field observations are seen as foundational and irreplaceable. Lu called on the station to continue to strengthen its observational foundations, refine major scientific questions and to enhance data output and results transformations. He also called on it to fully utilize the national field station platform to provide robust scientific and technological support for the national "dual carbon" goals, to boost the construction of the northern ecological security barrier, and to advance the high-quality development of the grassland livestock industry.

Ulan Tuoya, director of the Hulunbuir Science and Technology Bureau, pledged continued support for the Hulunbuir station in terms of research conditions, results transformations, talent services and science popularization. She emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation and collaborative efforts between research institutions and local entities. That was to ensure that grassland ecological research findings were effectively implemented and to contribute to the ecological protection of the Hulunbuir grassland and the high-quality development of the grassland livestock sector.

The research group visited the Hulunbuir station's long-term grazing experimental platform and the No.11 Team Baikal Stipa comprehensive observation field. They conducted on-site inspections of the long-term grazing control experiments, intelligent grazing technology demonstrations, and the operation of various observation facilities. What's more they gained a detailed understanding of the long-term observation of the Hulunbuir meadow steppe. That's as well as the response of grassland ecosystems to grazing, the carbon-nitrogen cycle and carbon sink functions of the grassland, and the ecological restoration of degraded grasslands.

The research group also discussed the evaluation and construction of field stations with on-site researchers, the open sharing of observation data, sci-tech innovation, institute-local cooperation, and the recruitment and retention of frontline scientific and technological talent. 

The visit provided a clear direction for the future development of the Hulunbuir station. Moving forwards, its staff will diligently implement the recommendations of the research group. They'll focus on the goals of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), continue to strengthen the station's role as a national-level field research platform, and enhance its capabilities in grassland ecological observation and scientific research innovation. Overall, the station aims to contribute its expertise and efforts to strengthening China's northern ecological security barrier, supporting regional ecological civilization construction — and promoting the high-quality development of the grassland livestock industry.