Prof. Volker Mosbrugger , TPE Co-chair and General Director of Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN), visited ITP Lhasa Campus and field stations from August 6 to 19, 2018. The trip, according to Prof. Vollker Mosbrugger, was “fascinating, stimulating, efficient” as future priorities of TPE have been reviewed and new structures of collaborations developed.

Prof. Volker Mosbrugger first met Prof. YAO Tandong, TPE Chair and Honorary Director of ITP in Lhasa, where the two had in-depth discussions on future TPE plans. Both agreed that “the biggest opportunity for future collaboration lies in more systemic approaches linking atmospheric, hydrological, glaciological, ecological and geological research in combination with studies of the human dimensions”. The two also compared notes on how the Pan-Third Pole area can be sustainably developed maintaining a balance between economy, ecology and social dimensions. New structures of collaborations are explored such as transdisciplinary research in which the research program is developed together with stakeholders in a co-design process. A potential “Synthesis Center” is also discussed which integrates the multitude of scientific publications in order to provide the decision makers with clear and reliable recommendations.

After the meeting, Prof. Volker Mosbrugger made a couple of stops at Linzhi, Naqu, Dangxiong, Dingri, where he visited local field stations and conducted fieldwork on vegetation-climate interaction. This might well be Prof. Volker Mosbrugger’s 12th visit to Tibet since 2003 when he was first drawn to the plateau: “Each Tibet visit and field trip is unique. Most surprising is how rapidly the infrastructure in Tibet and in the ITP stations grows and improves. So travelling and research in Tibet become much easier every year.”

It is Prof. Volker Mosbrugger’s belief that the observation network developed under the TPE framework over the last decade can immensely benefit future TPE endeavors to promote sustainability in the Pan-Third Pole region and beyond.