The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development focuses on the impact that sustainable management of natural resources has on social and economic development and therefore, on the importance of conservation and sustainable use of oceans and seas, freshwater resources as well as forests, mountains and drylands and of the protection of biodiversity, ecosystems and wildlife. Particularly set in the goal, mountains are explicitly mentioned among the ecosystems to be conserved, restored and sustainably used.
Mountains and forests are essential to the survival of the global ecosystem. However, many global mountain areas are experiencing environmental degradation and the situation goes the same in China. Research and actions are called to improve natural disaster monitoring and prevention capabilities.
In the upcoming Café des Sciences Lecture co-organized with the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chengdu, we will invite researchers and experts from Switzerland and China to share their insights on the protection of mountains and forests. We will first hear from Dr. Davide Fornacca, a Swiss-Italian Researcher from the Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research of Dali University, who will introduce his research on the fires in mountains. And then, Prof. Lijun Su, Deputy Director-General of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will present the technologies and activities on risk reduction. Last but not least, Ms. Xiaojin Chen, Senior Vice President of Novartis Group (China) will share from the corporate’s perspective, and elaborate to the audience on the sustainability projects run by Novartis.
Join us in Chengdu to explore the topic with the experts, but if you could not join us on-site, remember to register on our Zoom channel, we’ll see you there!
PROGRAM
*time in China; Live broadcasting via Zoom from 19:00 to 20:10
18:30 – 19:00 Registration
19:00 – 19:05 Welcome Remarks
Dr. Philippe Roesle, CEO, Consul, Swissnex in China
Ms. Conny Camenzind, Consul General of Switzerland in Chengdu
19:05 – 19:20 Southwest Sichuan Carbon-sink Forestry Project: Novartis’ Commitment to Sustainable Development
Ms. Xiaojing Chen, Senior Vice President Novartis Group (China)
19:20 – 19:35 Disaster Risk Reduction: Technologies and Activities by IMHE
Prof. Lijun Su, Deputy Director-General of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE), Chinese Academy of Sciences
19:35 – 19:50 Fire in the Mountains: Harmony or Havoc
Dr. Davide Fornacca, Researcher, Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Yunnan
19:50 – 20:10 Discussion and Q&A
20:10 – 21:30 Networking Reception
SPEAKERS
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Bio
Xiaojing Chen
Senior Vice President Novartis Group (China)Xiaojing Chen is Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Strategy & Public Affairs at Novartis Group (China), and a member of Novartis China Leadership Team. She also manages the planning and execution of Novartis’s Corporate Responsibility activities in China. Ms. Chen has more than twenty years of experience with multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies heading multiple functions. Before joining Novartis, Ms. Chen served as vice president at Medtronic Greater China, clinical/medical affairs. Earlier in her career, Ms. Chen amassed 9 years in Johnson & Johnson with increasing responsibilities in clinical/medical affairs, government affairs, pricing, reimbursement, tendering, and health economics. From 2009, Ms. Chen had spent 2 years in the United States working through the Johnson & Johnson international development program. After returning to China, she was assigned to the director of health economics and market access. Ms. Chen received her bachelor’s degree in clinical pharmacy from West China Medical University and master’s degree in clinical pharmacology from Peking Union Medical College both in China. She holds Master of Business Administration from University of Southern California in the US.
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Bio
Dr. Davide Fornacca
Researcher, IEHBR - Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research Dali University, YunnanDr. Davide Fornacca is a Swiss-Italian researcher currently working at the Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, based in Dali University, Yunnan. Davide has an educational background in Human Geography, Geoinformatics (GIS) and Remote Sensing, and pursues his research in Environmental Risks Modelling and Machine Learning. His current main project is to establish a Fire risk/vulnerability predictive model for the mountainous ecosystems of Northwest Yunnan.
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Bio
Prof. Dr. Lijun Su
Deputy Director General of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Deputy Director General of the China-Pakistan joint Research Center on Earth SciencesProfessor Lijun Su obtained his PhD degree in civil engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2006. He worked at the University of Wollongong as a research fellow from 2008 to 2011. His expertise is in Geotechnical Mechanics and the mechanism and mitigation of landslides. He has developed a 3-D Elasto-viscoplastic model for soft rock and a preferential seepage model for rainfall infiltration of slopes. He also developed a method for detecting slope structures using multiple geophysical technologies. He attended the emergency investigation of the Gorkha earthquake that occurred in Nepal in 2015 and the Xinmo landslide that occurred in 2017, providing technical support for emergency rescue and hazard mitigation. He is board member of the International Consortium on Landslides, and executive board member of the division for landslides and engineering slopes of the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering. He also works for several international journals as editor, such as the Journal of Mountain Science. He has already published over 100 journal papers in international journals.
IEHBR – Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research is located within the campus of Dali University, Yunnan, China. This ideal location allows for active and continuous research on the extremely rich biological and cultural diversity in the eastern Himalaya mountainous region. Its working area encompasses northwest Yunnan, southeastern Tibet and western Sichuan provinces. Research domains include the relationships between environmental, biological and socio-cultural diversity, focusing on the origin, evolution, maintenance and sustainable management of resources and ecosystem services. Long-term monitoring of different essential variables of the region’s delicate and complex ecosystems is emphasized by the means of continuous field research and remote observation. Website: http://www.eastern-himalaya.cn
Established in 1966, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE), Chinese Academy of Sciences is located in Chengdu, hometown of panda, China, which is a unique state institute conducting mountain science researches in China. Mainly focusing on mountain surface system, IMHE is engaged in researches on mountain hazards, mountain ecology & environment, mountain sustainable development, of which debris flow research ranks world first class.
In the past five decades, IMHE has completed more than 1,000 research projects, substantially contributed to the prevention and mitigation of mountain hazards, recovery of vulnerable eco-environment, and sustainable development of mountain regions.
To promote a partnership of connectivity between China and South Asia countries, IMHE established the Chinese Committee of International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (CNICIMOD), China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, and CAS and Alliance of International Science Organizations on Disaster Risk Reduction (ANSO-DRR). These international cooperation platforms will play a critical role in promoting academic and scientific exchange and collaboration along the Belt and Road.
With the slogan of “Concern for Mountains and Support for Future” and with the mission of “Exploring Mountain Science and Serving Regional Sustainable Development”. IMHE will continue to perform on the stages of leading debris flow research, developing mountain ecology & environment, promoting mountain development strategic research, try to strength the capacity-building on major mountain hazards mitigation, mountain ecological protection, and try to achieve the goal of being a world-first-class institute on mountain science.
Novartis is a leading global medicines company with a vital purpose to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. Each year, our products reach nearly 800 million people globally.
With a long-term commitment to China, we have established an integrated presence from R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations.
We are committed to providing innovative medicines and high-quality generic pharmaceuticals in China, obtaining nearly 90 new drug approvals since 1987, with plans to file 50 new drug applications within five years.
By strengthening partnerships with multiple healthcare ecosystem stakeholders, we are making impactful contributions to improve the standard of care in China, fulfill corporate responsibility, and help achieve national healthcare priorities.
