Founded in 2016, the School of Ecology and Environment is a new school which has evolved from the former Department of Ecology and Environmental Science of the School of Life Sciences of Inner Mongolia University(IMU). The school has inherited the profound academic accumulation that IMU has had in the fields of ecological environment and natural resources since its establishment, aimed at the international latest academic developments, focused on the key needs in the development of the country and society and carried out the talent training, scientific research and social service in such fields as ecology, environmental science and engineering, atmospheric science and grassland science.

The school’s discipline of Ecology and that of Environmental Science and Engineering are 2 key disciplines of IMU under “211 Project”, Program for Improvement on Comprehensive Strength of Universities in Central and Western Areas of China and “Double First-Class” Initiative. And Ecology is a national-level key development discipline, national-level university major with distinctive characteristics and regional-level top-notch discipline. The school has a complete talent training system of programs of bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctor’s degree and post-doctoral program, which intend to cultivate innovative, versatile and high-quality professional talents in ecology, environmental science and engineering, resource science and grassland science.

The school has conducted the uniquely-characterized scientific research which centers on the ecology and sustainable utilization of resources on Mongolian Plateau, ecosystem ecology and its adaptive management and ecological restoration and environmental governance, and formed the discipline research focuses in such fields as maintaining mechanism and protection of biodiversity, ecological geography of vegetation and climate change, ecosystem functions of grassland and its adaptive management, science of rivers, lakes and wetland and their governance, microbial ecology and resources, ecological restoration and pollution control, environmental geochemistry and ecological security, and environmental planning and management. It has produced the research results in ecology of arid areas and protection and utilization of resources which are internationally influential. The school functions as think tank and technology support base of the country and the region in the implementation of the ecological security strategy, ecological civilization building, environmental protection and sustainable utilization of resources.

History

In 1957 when IMU was established, Li Jitong, founder of the modern ecology of China and academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), was appointed vice president of IMU. He transferred the teaching and research sections for ecology and geobotany that he had created at Peking University to IMU, established the specialized group for ecological geobotany at the former Department of Biology of IMU and set up 2 sub-majors-ecology and geobotany in the major of botany.

In 1977, led by Li Bo, ex-academician of CAS, the school began to offer, with the approval of the Ministry of Education(MOE), the undergraduate major of phytoecology, the first one in China. In 1979, it was renamed the major of ecology.

In 1982, the teachers, the main body of which were with the discipline of ecology, established the Institute of Natural Resources which was approved as Inner Mongolia Institute of Natural Resources by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region(IMAR) People’s Government. It was later renamed as IMU Institute of Natural Resources.

In 1994, the major of Environmental Science was offered with the approval of MOE. In 1995, the former Department of Biology was renamed as the School of Life Sciences, under which the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science was set up.

In 2008, the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science of the School of Life Sciences of IMU and some teachers of the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of IMU who focused on the environmental science, created the School of Environment and Resources of IMU. In 2009, the undergraduate major of Environmental Engineering was added to the school and the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science of the School of Life Sciences was renamed as the Department of Ecology.

In 2016, the School of Environment and Resources and Department of Ecology of the School of Life Sciences merged and brought into being the School of Ecology and Environment. In 2017, the undergraduate major of Atmospheric Science was added to the school and in 2018 the undergraduate major of Environment and Ecological Engineering was added.

Faculty

The school has a high-quality team for talent cultivation and scientific research. Now it has 89 full-time teachers, of which 24 are professors, 37 associate professors and 87 teachers with doctor’s degree. Besides, the school appoints 15 guest/part-time professors who are with prestigious universities and research institutions at home and abroad, 15 part-time supervisors of master students and 75 industry supervisors. The faculty of the school mainly consists of middle-aged and young ones whose graduation universities are reasonably diversified, who have international academic horizon and who can undertake the research of the key projects. The school has a national-level Teaching Team and national-level Excellent Video Course in the discipline of ecology and environmental science. Some teachers of the school have been listed under such talent programs as the “National One Hundred, One Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Program”, “MOE Program for Support of Excellent Talents in a New Century”, and IMAR “Grassland Talent Program”, “IMAR Program for 321 Talents in a New Century”, “Program for Young Leading Talents in Science and Technology” and “Talent Program for Higher Education”. Some teachers of the school are members of the advisory committees of MOE on teaching in atmospheric science, natural protection and environment or directors of Ecological Society of China, Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, China Society of Natural Resources and Chinese Grassland Society. The Teacher Party Branch of Environmental Science has been selected as one of the 3^rd batch of the development branches for “National Model Branches for Party Buillding” of MOE.

Discipline Development

The school has 3 disciplines-ecology, environmental science and engineering and grassland science and 3 departments-the Department of Ecology, Department of Environmental Science, Department of Environmental Engineering, Department of Ecological Engineering and Department of Atmospheric Science. The school admits students in 5 undergraduate majors-Ecology, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Atmospheric Science and Environmental Ecological Engineering. It offers academic master’s degree programs of ecology, environmental science and engineering and grassland science, professional master’s degree program of environment and resources, doctor’s programs of ecology and environmental science and engineering and post-doctoral program of ecology.

Ecology

In 1957 when IMU was established, the sub-major of ecology under the major of Botany was offered. In 1977, the first undergraduate major of Ecology in China was offered here. In 1986, the master’s degree program of Ecology was offered; in 1990 the doctor’s degree program of Ecology offered and in 2000 the post-doctoral program of Ecology offered. The discipline of Ecology of the school is the national key development discipline and regional top-notch discipline. The major of Ecology is the candidate for the development of national first-class undergraduate majors and the national university major with distinctive characteristics. Its course of Ecology is a national first-class course, General Ecology a national Excellent Course and Amazing Mongolian Plateau a national open video course.

Environmental Science and Engineering

In 1994, the school began to offer the undergraduate major of Environmental Science and in 1998 master’s degree program of Environmental Science. In 2011, the school started to offer the master’s degree program of the discipline of Environmental Science and Engineering and in 2018 the doctor’s degree program of the discipline of Environmental Science and Engineering, the first doctor’s degree program of this kind in IMAR. In 2005, the school began to offer the professional master’s degree of Environmental Engineering, which was changed into the master’s program of Environment and Resources. The major of Environmental Science is the candidate for the development of the national first-class undergraduate majors and regional Brand major.

Grassland Science

In 2003, the school got approval to offer the master’s degree program of the sub-discipline of grassland science. In 2011, the master’s degree program of the discipline of grassland science was offered with the grassland science being upgraded from a sub-discipline to a discipline.

Atmospheric Science

In 2017, the school began to offer the undergraduate major of Atmospheric Science which began to enroll students in 2018 who have a bight employment and career future.

Talent Cultivation

Since the establishment of IMU, the School of Ecology and Environment and its predecessor have produced a large number of high-quality talents in ecology, environmental science and engineering, grassland science and resources science and management for research institutions, universities and colleges, government agencies and enterprises at home and abroad. In 2023, the school has over 800 undergraduate students, more than 600 master students and over 100 PhD students.

The school now has a regional-level Demonstration Center for Teaching and Experiment of Undergraduates in Ecology and Environment and various professional laboratories for students’ practice and research. Carrying out opening-up education policy, the school has cooperated and exchanged with the universities and research institutions at home and abroad in talent training. For example, the school has set up a student exchange and training program with Peking University, signed the cooperation agreement with Massey University of New Zealand on joint program for dual degree in ecology and environmental science and operated with Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Tsinghua University the summer schools for their postgraduate students. Besides, the school has established an ecological research base in Xilin Gol grassland and practical teaching bases in Daqing Mountains National Natural Reserve, Wuliangsuhai Field Test Station, Huihe River National Natural Reserve, Daihai Natural Reserve, Field Scientific Observation and Research Station for Grassland Ecological System of CAS, IMAR Master Station for Environment Monitoring and environment monitoring stations in Hohhot City, Baotou City, Ordos City, Wuhai City and Ulanqab City.

Discipline Platforms

The School of Ecology and Environment has 4 research platforms at the ministerial level including : the MOE Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Utilization on Mongolian Plateau, MOE Collaborative Innovation Center for Ecological Security of Grassland co-built by IMAR government and MOE, Development Base of the State Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology co-built by IMAR government and MOE and MOE Field Scientific Observation and Research Station for Typical Grassland Ecological System. Moreover, it has IMAR Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Wastes Recycling, IMAR Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rivers and Lakes, IMAR Research Center for Engineering Technologies in Treatment and Recycling of Wastewater in Coal Chemical Industry and IMU Environmental Monitoring Center. It also has professional laboratories in analysis of plants and soil, plant physiology and ecology, molecular ecology, microbial ecology, environmental toxicology, environmental monitoring and environmental chemistry, environmental geochemistry, water environment and water resources and remote sensing and geographical information system. The laboratories in the Building of Ecology and Environment have an area of 18,000 square meters and the school’s instruments and facilities are worth RMB 175 million. The school also has 36 hectares of bases for testing, research and development, of which it has property right. All these provide the basic and important support for talent training, scientific research, integration of applied technologies and demonstration.

Scientific Research

The scientific research of the school has centered on the ecology and sustainable utilization of resources on Mongolian Plateau, ecosystem ecology and its adaptive management and ecological restoration and environmental governance and formed the research focuses in such fields as maintaining mechanism and protection of biodiversity, ecological geography of vegetation and climate change, ecosystem functions of grassland and its adaptive management, science of rivers, lakes and wetland and their governance, microbial ecology and resources, ecological restoration and pollution control, environmental geochemistry and ecological security, and environmental planning and management. The school has produced the research results in ecology of arid areas and protection and utilization of resources which are internationally influential. It has done a lot in such aspects as natural resources and environment(such as grassland vegetation, grassland resources, diagrams of natural resources and monographs of plants, animals and birds in IMAR), structural functions of ecosystem(such as biodiversity, water balance and nutrient cycling, soil animals and microbial ecological functions), protection and management of ecosystem(such as development of natural reserves, mowing and herding system on the grassland and protection of plant and animal resources), ecological restoration and environment governance(such as restoration of damaged ecosystem, restoration of deserted mining places, land degradation governance and greenhouse gas reduction), wetland and hydrological ecology(such as eutrophication of wetland, conversion of lake homeostasis and hydrological simulation of drainage basin), environmental pollution control(such as waste water treatment in coal chemical industry, comprehensive utilization of fly ash and governance of atmosphere pollution) and environmental planning and management(such as environmental policies, regional sustainable development, eco-compensation and ecosystem service). It has developed the ecological theories and supported the sustainable development of the country and the region.

Aiming at the latest developments in ecology and environmental science in the world and centering on the key problems in the aspects of ecological security, environmental protection and resource utilization in the development of the country and the region, the school has undertaken, since the 13^th Five-Year-Plan period(2016), the research of over 340 projects at the regional or national level, whose grants total RMB 293 million. These research projects include those supported by the National Program for Key Research and Development, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Public Welfare Program for Environmental Protection, the National Public Welfare Program for Agriculture, IMAR Program for Key Specialized Scientific and Technological Research, IMAR Program for Science and Technology and the projects supported by local governments, enterprises and some public institutions.

Goals

The School of Ecology and Environment intends to build a first-class discipline of ecology and environment in the world, endeavors to cultivate the innovative, versatile and high-level talents who grow collaboratively in knowledge, ability and personality, energetically carries out scientific research and strengthens its capability to serve the society to build itself into a base for the cultivation of high-level talents in ecology and environment, a strong center for scientific research, a think tank for social development and a base to support the technological research and development so as to provide theoretical guidance and technological support for the implementation of eco-security strategy, building of eco-civilization, environmental protection and sustainable utilization of resources and construction of environment-friendly society.