The Innovation Team of Non-point Source Pollution Control of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the New Zealand-China Water Research Center held a webinar on agricultural non-point source pollution monitoring and control, teamwork and talent exchange on May 6.

Professor HongJie Di of the University of Lincoln, New Zealand, Academician of the Royal New Zealand Academy of Sciences and Director of the New Zealand-China Water Research Center, Dr. Scott Ferguson of the University of Otago, Researcher Jiafa Luo of the Royal New Zealand Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Researcher Wei Hu of the New Zealand Institute of Ecology, Dr. Sam Carrich of the New Zealand Landcare Institute, Dr. Blair Miller from the Environmental Research Department of Lincoln Agritech company, and Liu Hongbin, Chief Researcher of the IARRP's non-point source pollution team, as well as other  team members, attended the meeting.

Associate Researcher Pan Junting introduced the composition of the team and its research progress, supporting platforms, team honors and international cooperation. Luo put forward relevant suggestions on model simulation, platform construction, management technology and product development of China's non-point source pollution control.

Di pointed out that the cooperation between the center and the team has a good foundation and has achieved fruitful results. The two sides have many common interests and strong complementary research advantages. Di recommended further strengthening of strategic cooperation, especially in pollutants migration, modeling simulation of its driving mechanisms as well as development of management technologies and products.

Liu pointed out that there are still many deficiencies and shortcomings in terms of the prevention and control of non-point source pollution in China. Given the major needs of the country's ecological civilization construction, strengthening cooperation and exchanges is an important way to tackle non-point source pollution.

The innovation team and the New Zealand-China Research Water Center reached a preliminary consensus on project planning, cooperative research and personnel exchanges.

The two parties have cooperated in the field of agricultural environment for many years. In 2019, they jointly established the China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory for Pollution Prevention and Control of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, and have published 11 SCI papers in top journals in the past five years.

The New Zealand–China Water Research Center is one of three Centers funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, office of Innovation Employment (MBIE). It is hosted by Lincoln University in partnership with AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research, Lincoln Agritech, and the University of Otago.