A Brief Introduction to The Institute of Water Resources for Pastoral Areas (IWRPA)

The pastoral area. The pastoral areas are distributed along the border and mainly situated in the north and west border areas. This vast land, where more than 40 nationalities live (population about 40,000,000), is the major region of animal husbandry production of our country. But this region is usually distributed in the drought areas where rainfall is spare and water resources are very poor.1/3 of the grasslands are lack of water or even no water available. The natural condition is harsh and the ecological environment is very fragile. About 38% of the ready-for-use grassland has been degenerated or even desertified. As the basis of grassland animal husbandry and regional economy, water conservancy will play a decisive role in the development of pasture regions economy

According to the national science&technology structure reform requirements from the year of 2001 IWRPA will be formally incorporated into IWHR and become one of its the public-welfare and non-for-profit research divisions. IWRPA has adjusted its structure into four parts: one research center, one science&technology development company, one estate management and service company, and one comprehensive office, with expectation of more flexible and suitable to the needs of the reform and market economy. As the scientific and technical center in the area of water science&technology for the pastoral areas, IWRPA is undertaking the tasks of promoting water study development, promoting animal husbandry development with water science and technology, and finally promoting the economical development and the modernization construction of the pastoral areas. All the members will do their best, work hard for the rejuvenation of water cause in the pastoral areas and the modernization of grassland animal husbandry in the 21st century.

　
    The Institute of Water Resources for Pastoral Areas（IWRPA）,which was directly under the Ministry of Water Resources before the year of 2000,was approved to be established by the State Council in March of 1979. Since its establishment, IWRPA has been adhering to the aim of getting a foothold in pastoral area and being geared to the needs of the whole country. Uniting as one, all the research staff members in IWRPA work hard and have gained quite a few achievements. Now IWRPA has become a comprehensive water science and technology research center for the minority, border and pastoral areas in China.

IWRPA is located in Huhhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It has 30700m2 land property and 2500m2 building area. There are 208 working members in the Institute,About 78.4% of them possess engineer qualification or higher. IWRPA also owns an examining center (which is nationally accredited) and a trial base (which is 150 ha in area). IWRPA now become a new research institution with complete study fields setting-up, well-done research facilities and solid technical strength.
At present, IWRPA is mainly engaged in such a few research areas: basic theories and technology about water conservancy in pastoral area, the research of technology application and demonstration about water conservancy in pastoral area, the research of industrialization about water conservancy in pastoral area and the research of animal husbandry economy with water as the center, and the research of soft science about the scientific and technological administration of water conservancy of pastoral area, the economic administration of industrialization, the policy and the regulations. The major research field involves 10 aspects: water resources evaluation and development, water environment evaluation and water quality improvement, grassland irrigation and drainage, water supply for pastureland, construction and administration of grazing land, development of clean energy resources (solar energy, wind energy and so on), water-lifting machinery, conservation of soil and water as well as desertification control, water conservancy economy and calamity evaluation, policy and macro-strategy about water conservancy of pastoral area. In the last 20 years, IWRPA had fulfilled more than 130 important scientific research projects for the country, or provinces and ministries (i.e. state-level and province/ministry-level project). 30% of the achievements have won national scientific and technical advance prize or province/ministry prize and more than 60% have been put into practical use for production, thus making remarkable social and economic benefits, also a lot of contribution for the ecological construction in the pastoral areas.