On March 1, 2024, a delegation of three, including Professor Tsuneharu Tokudome, Associate Professor Toshihiko Kinugasa, and undergraduate student Huang Lu from the Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Japan, visited the Yuzhong Campus of Lanzhou University for an exchange visit.
During the visit, discussions on talent cultivation and scientific research cooperation were held at the office of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Yuzhong Campus. The session was attended by Lanzhou University's Vice President Gou Xiaohua, Vice Secretary of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences Wei Keran, Vice Deans Guan Qingyu and Wang Xin, Teacher Du Yazun from the International Cooperation and Exchange Department, and representatives of faculty and students from the College. Vice Dean Wang Xin introduced the development history, discipline construction, talent training, international cooperation, and research innovation achievements of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Professor Tokudome reviewed the history of cooperation with Lanzhou University, introduced Tottori University and the Arid Land Research Center, and discussed in-depth the next steps for undergraduate exchange visits, the "Sakura Plan," and related collaborative research.
Subsequently, Professor Tsuneharu Tokudome and Associate Professor Toshihiko Kinugasa delivered academic reports to the undergraduate students of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences titled “A Triple Win Approach to Sustainable Land Management in Ethiopia” and “Global Warming and Grassland Ecosystem in Mongolia,” respectively.
Professor Tokudome discussed his research and prevention work on soil and water loss in the upstream area of the Blue Nile River in the Horn of Africa - Ethiopia, proposing a comprehensive management framework for simultaneously achieving soil and water loss prevention, environmental improvement, and socio-economic development empowerment in economically underdeveloped countries.
Associate Professor Kinugasa focused on his research on the impact of day, night, and diurnal temperature increases on grassland productivity in typical grasslands of Mongolia, indicating that climate warming would decrease the productivity of typical grasslands, especially during drought years, which could affect the production safety of Mongolia's livestock industry.
After the presentations, Professors Tokudome and Kinugasa engaged in a lively discussion with the attending faculty and students on how to achieve nighttime warming, the impact of warming on vegetation community structure changes on productivity, soil and water loss prevention, and sustainable development goals. This exchange deepened the understanding of typical Eurasian grasslands and the Nile River Basin's soil and water loss issues among our faculty and students in related specialties, and strengthened the cooperation between Lanzhou University and Tottori University in undergraduate student exchanges.
