The Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), formerly known as CAS Forestry and Soil Institute, was founded in 1954. Its current name was adopted in 1987. In 2001, IAE was approved as one of the National Knowledge Innovation Program pilot institutes. In 2015, it became one of the first batch of CAS-affiliated pilot "Feature Institutes" in the field of Ecological Civilization Construction.
In 1987, in response to the strategic needs of CAS for strengthening the research on ecology, natural resources and environment, the institute was renamed to its current name (IAE). Its research was oriented towards terrestrial ecosystems, spanning diverse aspects of modern ecology such as Macroecology, System Ecology, Experimental Ecology, Bio-Engineering and Biotechnology.
In 1998, given the international development trend in Applied Ecology and the needs of National Ecological Environment Construction, the discipline layout of CAS and the discipline advantages of IAE itself, IAE re-positioned its research areas, that is, aiming at Applied Ecology, emphasizing the use of Experimental Ecology methods, focusing on forest ecology, pollution ecology and agricultural ecology studies, and highlighting the study of material-cycling processes and regional sustainable development.
In 2001, IAE became a pilot institute of the National Knowledge Innovation Program and formed a new discipline layout featured with three major areas: (1) Forest Ecology and Forestry Ecological Engineering, (2) Soil Ecology and Agro-Ecological Engineering, and (3) Pollution Ecology and Environmental Ecological Engineering.
In 2010, IAE formulated its “One-Three-Five” Planning according to the overall deployment of the CAS “Innovation 2020” strategic planning.
In 2015, in accordance with the requirements of the “Pioneer Initiative” of the CAS and the unified deployment of the Reform of CAS-affiliated Research Institutes Based on Their Categories, IAE entered the first batch of pilot Feature Institutes of the CAS, and from then on, IAE started a new historical development period.
Since its establishment in 1954, IAE has been committed to solving major problems related to national agricultural and forestry sustainable development, ecological and environmental construction and the development of Applied Ecology; it has been conducting basic, strategic and forward-looking research in the fields of Forest Ecology and Forestry Ecological Engineering, Soil Ecology and Agro-Ecological Engineering, Pollution Ecology and Environmental Ecological Engineering. The researchers conducted by IAE scientists enriched and developed basic theories of forest ecology, agricultural ecology and pollution ecology, and provided theoretic supports and key technologies for environmental improvement, food safety assurance and the restoration and re-construction of degraded ecosystems. IAE has won more than 230 provincial-, ； ministerial-, or national-level awards, including 33 national awards and 202 provincial- or ministerial-level awards, and has published 288 books and monographs, more than 7,700 scientific papers, including 2,326 Science Citation Index (SCI) papers, and has been granted more than 500 patents.
IAE has five research centers: (1) Forest Ecology and Forestry Ecological Engineering Research Center, (2) Soil Ecology and Agro-ecological Engineering Research Center, (3) Pollution Ecology and Environmental Ecological Engineering Research Center, (4) Landscape Ecology and Regional Planning Research Center, and (5) Bio-resource and Biotechnology Research Center.
The following are key laboratories that are affiliated to IAE: the National Engineering Laboratory for Soil Nutrient Management (IAE as a co-founder), the National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Contaminated Soil Bio-Physicochemical Remediation Technique Research, the CAS Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, the CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecological Process and Regional Ecological Safety, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Public Welfare Forest, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Utilization, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Quality and Agricultural Product Safety, and Liaoning Provincial Fertilizer Engineering and Technology Center.
IAE has eight field research stations located across the country. Among them, the National Research Station of Changbai Mountain Forest Ecosystems (in Jilin Province), the National Research Station of Shenyang Agriculture Ecosystems (in Liaoning Province), the National Research Station of Huitong Forest Ecosystems (in Hunan Province) are also member stations of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN). The Qingyuan (Liaoning Province) Forest Ecosystem Research Station is a CAS-affiliated field research station, and a member station of CERN as well. The Wulan'aodu Desertification Research Station (in Inner-Mongolia Autonomic Region) is a desertification control and monitoring station co-sponsored by the State Forestry Administration. The Daqinggou Sandland Ecological Research Station (in Liaoning Province), Shenyang Arboretum (an urban research station) and Erguna (in Inner Mongolia Autonomic Region) Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station are IAE-affiliated field stations. In addition, IAE and the State Forestry Administration have jointly established Changbai Mountain West-Slope Research Station and Erguna Wetland Research Station.
With 290,000 vascular plant collections, 130,000 moss collections, 30,000 lichens collections, 40,000 higher fungus collections, 72,000 insect collections, 10,000 plant disease collections, 1,000 wood collections, 20,000 microorganism collections and 20,000 soil collections, IAE has the largest bio-specimen collections in Northeast China.
To further improve overall research level and enhance its influences at home and abroad, IAE built a new campus of 346 Mu (1 Mu = 0.0667 hectares) in Shenbei New District in the north suburbs of Shenyang. The main building, the plant introduction and acclimation center, graduate apartment building and other facilities have been put into use.
By the end of 2018, IAE has a staff of 427, including 382 scientific and technical personnel, 81 seniors and 102 sub-seniors, 13 "CAS Distinguished Research Fellow" scholars, 2 researchers awarded with the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars, and 5 awarded with the National Outstanding Youth Foundation.
In 1981, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council vested IAE with authority to confer doctoral degrees. IAE now has two first-level doctoral degree-conferring disciplines (i.e., Ecology, Agricultural Resources and Environment), two second-level doctoral degree-conferring disciplines (i.e., Microbiology, Environmental Science), two first-level master’s degree-conferring disciplines (i.e., Ecology, Agricultural Resources and Environment), four second-level master's degree-conferring disciplines (i.e., Microbiology, Botany, Forest Cultivation, Environmental Science) and 2 postdoctoral mobile stations (i.e., Ecology, Agricultural Resources and Environment). IAE currently has 357 graduate students, including 190 doctoral students and 167 master students, and 31 post-docs.
IAE has fruitful cooperations and academic exchanges with many high-level universities and research institutions in the United States, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Switzerland, Japan and other countries, and has established cooperative relationships with many well-known domestic universities and enterprises.
The Ecological Society of Liaoning Province, the Botanical Society of Liaoning Province, the Soil Society of Liaoning Province, the Botanical Society of Shenyang as well as three academic journals - Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, Chinese Journal of Ecology, and Ecological Processes, are affiliated with IAE.
