State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology（SKLURE）, as the first state key laboratory on ecology study, was established in 2006 under Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of Chinese Academy of Sciences. It was developed from the Key Laboratory of Systems Ecology of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
SKLURE focuses on the ecology of social-economic-natural complex ecosystems (SENCE) at both urban and regional scales. The main research areas include interactions between humans and natures at multiple scales, ecological cybernetics in SENCE; methodology of ecological assessment, planning and management of SENCE; multi-disciplinary study on major environmental and ecological problems in China; and policy study on urban and regional sustainable development.
The goals of the SKLURE are to develop social-economic-natural complex ecosystem ecology, to establish theory and methodology for urban and regional sustainable development, and become the research and training center for urban and regional ecology, and center for ecological assessment and planning, and policy studies on sustainable development in China.
Currently there are 73 staff in SKLURE, including 3 academician, 20 research professors, 25 associate research professors. SKLURE consists of fifteen groups, which belong to five research devisions: (1) urban and industrial ecology, (2) regional landscape pattern and ecological processes, (3) complex ecosystem regulation and management, (4) environmental stressing and ecosystem change, and (5) regional eco-security and sustainable development.
SKLURE has undertaken a large number of research projects granted by the Chinese Center Government, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and local governments as well as international agencies. Since its establishment, SKLURE has more than 2000 peer-reviewed papers and 100 books published, and received 36 science and technology advancement awards at the national, provincial and ministerial level, including one research was awarded 1st grade National Science and Technology Progress Award. The main recognized academic contributions of SKLURE include sustainable development theory based on SENCE theory and ecological engineering; urban and regional sustainable development model including making the master planning for the first eco-county, the first eco-city, and the first eco-province in China; impact of acid rain on ecosystems and management strategies, ecosystem service zoning of China and nature reserve planning of China, and urban and regional sustainable management theory and methodology.
