On 28-30 October 2016, 23th CERN (Chinese Ecosystem Research Network) Working Conference was held in Shenyang. The Vice President of CAS, academician ZHANG Yaping, the chairman of CERN Guiding Committee, Academician SUN Honglie, the director of Nanjing Branchof CAS, Prof ZHOU Gianmin, the Director General of Bureau of Science and Technology for Development CAS, Prof YAN Qing presented.Leaders and Research workers in related network research stations and centers attended. The leaders from National Science & Technology Infrastructure Center, Life Science Division and Earth Science Division of NNSFC, Ecological Observation Network Center of State Forestry Administration, Institute of Desertification, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Science & Technology Department of Liaoning Province, Science & Technology Bureau of Shenyang were invited to the conference.

The director of the host unitIAE CAS, Prof JI Lanzhu gave welcome speech. He reviewed the contributions of IAE, especially the specialists of the preceding generations, in the development of CERN construction and development. He conveyed the 3 requests pointed out by the President of CAS in the inspection to Erguna Station in August:  Deeply develop data sharing among stations, working hard for big achievement production, strengthen idea exchange, improve means of data acquisition by new tech and bring the advantage of the field stations into play, construct base for science popularization and patriotism education.

Invited by the conference, 3 high- level administration leaders of NNSFC gave seminars. YU Zhenliang, a division chief in Life Science Department, reported The Development Process of Ecology and thinking for the Future. LENG Shuying, a division chief in Dept of Earth Science reported Research on Natural Geography and Terrestrial Surface. Prof SONG Changqing reported Retrospect and Prospect to Soil Science.

Prof YU Guirui, the vice chairman of CERN, reported Thinking on Net Construction of Observation and Experimentation for CERN. Prof ZHU Jiaojun, the director of Qingyuan Research station, reported The Construction and Development of Field Stations in IAE CAS.  A representative from Resources and Environment Division,  Bureau of Science and Technology for Development CAS reported work done in 2015 and declared the results of CERN 2011-2015 comprehensive evaluation.

Medals and certifications were awarded to Taihu Station, Inner-Mongolia Grassland Station, Fengqiu Station, Dinghu Mountain Station, Shapotou Station as outstanding stations in the period 2011-2015. Ten workers were awarded as Science & technology contributos. Ten Young workers were awarded for their outstanding papers published in 2015. The leaders of awarded stations introduced their work: Taihu station for their construction of experimentation and demonstration platform, Inner-Mongolia Grassland Station for its representative achievements, Fengqiu Station for local requirement and demonstration, Dinghu Mountain Station for scientific management of the station, Shapotou Station for the condensation of national needs and scientific problems, Comprehensive Center for the research development on Carbon/Nitrogen/water cycling in terrestrial Ecosystem. Requests and Index system for urban stations also discussed.A special session was held for young workers. Twenty seven young workers reported new development of their work.

Prof ZHOU Jianmin, the director of Nanjing Branch CAS, expressed gratified to new development and achievements of ERN and considered the long-term monitor, research and demonstration is very important. Academician SUN Honglie stressed that the current construction of ecosystem stations need networking research, aiming to the national request and regional scientific problem, unite related stations together, extent the local- station research to regional, condense essential achievements serving the regional request.

At the end, the vice president of CAS, academician ZHANG Yaping made a speech. He confirmed the important supporting effect of CERN in undertaking national essential task in ecological field and fulfilling nationally important demand. He pointed out that the proposal for the construction of ecological civilization provide a new opportunity for CERN development. CERN has entered a stable development stage. However, CERN　is filling also a crisis, It should breakthrough　its own bottleneck in development, Strengthen its own construction. The work of CERN stations should firmly associated with the work related to 13^th Five year Plan of the institute, strengthen net work research. According to the new request and new opportunity of Two Faces-facing to the masses and facing to grass-roots level , aiming to national needs and science frontier, condense essential achievements while striving for the support from departments of CAS and other state departments. To improve CERN management mechanism, he agreed to found CERN management committee that responsible for making essential decisions such as the development orientation of CERN and rational deployment of stations. He stressed also to improve data quality and data sharing among stations, strengthen talent cultivation using the advantage of CERN in talents and state talent plan, absorb and train young scientists. He believes CERN will develop better in the period of 13^th Five year Plan.