Hosting Institution
Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, established in 1958, is a provincial-level public institution dedicated to scientific research. Originally known as the Guangzhou Institute of Entomology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was renamed the Central-South Institute of Entomology in 1961, the Guangdong Institute of Entomology in 1972, and became affiliated with the Guangdong Academy of Sciences in 1978. In 1984, it was authorized by the Ministry of Forestry to establish the South China Endangered Animal Research Institute, adopting a dual-brand management model. It was restructured as the Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources in 2015 and assumed its current name in 2020. The institute serves as the host organization for the Guangdong Entomological Society, Guangdong Zoological Society, Guangdong Termite Society, Guangdong Beekeeping Society, and the Chinese Core Journal, Journal of Environmental Entomology.
The institute focuses on national and provincial economic and social development needs, concentrating on three main areas: wildlife conservation and resource utilization, dynamic monitoring and green control of harmful organisms, and innovative research in biomedicine. It conducts public scientific research, develops industry-specific and core technologies, and provides government scientific consulting and science popularization services in agriculture, forestry, ecological security, and biomedicine and health. The institute is a national leader in areas such as resource insects, biopesticides, biopharmaceutical development, protection of rare wildlife, biodiversity assessment, and nature reserve planning.
The institute has established over 30 scientific innovation platforms, including the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Protection and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Provincial Public Laboratory of Wildlife Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Provincial Wildlife (Insect) Germplasm Resource Bank, Guangdong Provincial Termite Engineering Technology Research Center, and Guangdong Provincial Urban Pest Control Technology Transfer Center. It is recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as a pesticide registration testing unit and is the first in the country to obtain judicial identification qualifications for environmental damage animal species, holding both terrestrial and aquatic animal identification qualifications. The institute also possesses the only non-human primate experimental animal disease model research base in South China, covering 100,000 square meters, and is internationally and GLP certified for non-clinical evaluation of experimental animals and drugs.
The institute has 212 staff members, including 60 with senior professional titles and 83 with doctoral degrees. It has experts recognized as national candidates for the New Century "Hundred, Thousand, Ten Thousand Talent Project", recipients of the State Council's special government allowances, and outstanding young talents under the "Pearl River Talent Plan". Over 80% of the staff are professional technical personnel, with an average age of 38, covering various fields of animal research and forming a young, multi-level, and comprehensive research team.
In the past five years, the institute has published over 200 SCI papers in journals such as Science; obtained 67 authorized invention patents (including 13 international patents); transferred 13 patents; received 26 scientific and technological achievement awards, including six provincial-level awards such as the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award and Guangdong Inventor Award; and was awarded the 2020 "International Entomological Outstanding Achievement Award" by the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (received by Professor Liying Li). It has also been recognized as a "National Advanced Collective in Science Popularization Work" and received an Excellence Award in the National Science Popularization Explanation Competition.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the institute plans to comprehensively upgrade existing platforms and establish new ones, such as "Wildlife Epidemic Source and Disease Biological Safety" and "Biopesticides and Ecological Control of Harmful Organisms". It aims to build talent apartments, set up special talent and research startup funds, and actively recruit outstanding high-end and young talents. The institute strives to become a leading research institution in South China for animal protection and resource utilization, an irreplaceable center for dynamic monitoring and green control technology of harmful organisms, and a distinctive center for innovative biomedical research on major human diseases, with international competitiveness.
Supporting Institutions
Journal of Environmental Entomology is host by the Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (formerly the Guangdong Institute of Entomology), with collaborative support from three institutions: the Red Imported Fire Ant Research Center at South China Agricultural University, the Institute of Insect Science and Technology at South China Normal University, and the Red Imported Fire Ant Prevention and Control Technology Innovation Center at the Plant Protection Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. These institutions contribute strategic guidance and substantial support to the journal's development.
The Red Imported Fire Ant Research Center at South China Agricultural University, established in July 2005 as a university-level research center, is the only specialized institution in China dedicated to studying the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren). Professors Ling Zeng, Yongyue Lu, and Weiqiu Zhang were the first to identify and confirm the invasion of this species into mainland China. Over 16 years of research, the center has achieved significant progress in invasion biology, ecological monitoring, quarantine protocols, and control technologies. It has developed comprehensive systems for monitoring, quarantine, and eradication, providing critical scientific support for national fire ant management. The center has undertaken 8 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 1 National Key R&D Program sub-project, 2 National "973 Program" sub-projects, over 20 provincial-level projects, and more than 40 other initiatives. It has published over 190 papers (including 60+ in SCI-indexed journals), authored or co-authored 12 books and textbooks, obtained 19 patents and software copyrights, developed 9 novel bait formulations and devices, and formulated 2 national standards, 2 industry standards, and 2 local standards. Its achievements have been recognized with awards such as the First Prize of Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Award and the First Prize of Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Award.
The Institute of Insect Science and Technology at South China Normal University originated from the Laboratory of Insect Molecular and Developmental Biology established in 2005. The institute integrates basic and applied research with technological innovation, focusing on insect developmental biology. Led by Professor Sheng Li (a recipient of the Changjiang Scholar Award and National Outstanding Youth Scientist Award), the team aims to identify molecular targets for pest control and advance modern entomology. The institute currently includes 14 professors/researchers (including 2 distinguished professors), 3 associate professors, 15 postdoctoral researchers, and technical support staff. Over the past five years, it has published over 100 papers in journals such as Annual Review of Entomology, PNAS, and Autophagy, and secured 20+ national patents.
The Red Imported Fire Ant Prevention and Control Technology Innovation Center, affiliated with the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, focuses on safeguarding national biosecurity and public health through innovative research on invasive species management. The center has undertaken over 50 projects, including National Natural Science Foundation grants and National Key R&D Programs. It has published more than 100 papers, authored 6 monographs, obtained 30 patents, formulated 7 national and industry standards, and received awards such as the First Prize of Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award. Its work emphasizes monitoring, early warning systems, and sustainable control strategies for invasive species like the red imported fire ant.
