简介：Recently,IattendedaconferenceorganisedbytheEuropeanFoodSafetyAuthorityinthebeautifulandprosperousItaliancityofParma.Theoveralltopicoftheconferencewasriskassessment,andtheprogramincludedasectiononaspectsofenvironmentalriskassessment.Invariousareas,includingtheevalutionoftheeffectsofpesticideapplications,invasiveorganismsorgeneticallymodifiedplants(Arpaiaetal.,2014)preparinganenvironmentalriskassessmentisanobviouslyrelevantexercise.

简介：Ecologyisnotavery'old'science,withaboutonehundredyearsofhistory.Intheearlyperiod,thegeneralattitudewasthatthestudyofundisturbedecologicalsystemswillprovideuswithcluesofhowtheworldisorganised.Tounderstandthisworld,weshouldstudythe

简介：AtthestartofournewJournalofBiosafety,IwaspromptedbymyCo-Editors-in-Chief,ProfessorWanandProfessorYou,toprovideregularreviewsorupdatesonbiosafetyforourreaders,giventhatImostlyresideoutsideChina,andhavemanyinternationalconnections.Thatisaverybigtask,andIwasnotsurethatIcoulddoitasthejournaldemands.However,Ihadthoughtthatinalighterway,IcouldattempttopresentmythoughtsonsomeissuesthatIfeelareofimportancetoday.Chinaisveryquicklyopeningtotheworld,economically,scientifically,andinmanyotherfields,andformanycolleaguesinsideandoutsideChina,thisisanewsituation.Duringmycareer,IhaveworkedinseveralcountriesofEurope,inNewZealand,andhadprojectsonothercontinents.Thisgavemeexperiencesindifferentpartsofourglobe,andIfeelthatallofus,ecologists,havetostartthinkingmorewidely,andbeawareofdevelopments,especiallyofhumanimpacts,onfarawayplaces.Somyviewwhenwritingtheseessayswilltrytobebothlocalandglobal.ThereforeIhavechosentheoveralltitleforthisseriesofessays'Thoughtsofatravellingecologist'.Belowyouwillbeabletoreadthefirstone-Ihopeyouwillenjoythem.Ifyoufeelliketoadd,orcommentonmyessays,pleasefeelfreetodoso.Anyfeedbackwillbemostwelcome.