On Apr 22nd, 2016, which is the 47th Earth Day, DeTao Water Resource Ecosystem Institute (“WREI” for short) is officially launched at DeTao CCIC building in Shanghai. Prof. Kevin Erwin, DeTao Master of Ecological Restoration and the first initiator of WREI, hosted the launch ceremony and gave a launch announcement. Chris Xu (Chief Operating Officer of DeTao Group), Prof. Florin Pierre Baeriswyl (DeTao Master of Brand Strategy & Design), Prof. He Peimin (Director of Marine Ecology and Environment Department, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University), Prof. Lei Guangchun (Dean of School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University), Prof. An Shuqing (Dean of Nanjing University Ecological Research Institute of Changshu), and Ms. Ni Huan (Founder of “Green Light Year” Environmental Service Center, Senior Advisor of WWF) attended the ceremony and delivered guest speeches. Other important partners like Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Forestry Survey & Planning Institute of East China, and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Limnology CAS also participated in the ceremony.
On the ceremony, Prof. Kevin Erwin elaborated the importance of Water, the water issues in China, and the necessity of launching WREI at this moment. China is now facing a lot of water issues such as water scarcity and water pollution. The rapid economic growth in China has made the problem even worse. Those problems are not only tough challenges for people who are working for water resource management, but also a valuable opportunity. WREI, initiated by Prof. Kevin Erwin, will become be a diversified platform that integrates China’s top universities, top enterprises, NGOs and government agencies together to establish a new standard for water resource protection. The Institute will collect and distribute knowledge, and provide education and products to focus on the wide range of water resource issues. The launch of WREI conforms to the trend of development, and also lays a solid foundation for innovative water resource management in China.
