South African botanist contributes his achievements to support China's rich biodiversity resources

Mortimer sorts out research materials on his computer. (People's Daily Online/Weng Qiyu)

Peter Mortimer, a South African researcher who works at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province, has contributed the achievements he made over the course of the previous decade to support China's rich biodiversity resources as well as related scientific research.

Mortimer first set foot in Kunming 11 years ago during a graduation trip, and from then on, decided to stay there. He did not expect that in only a decade he could develop from a young foreign scientist into an expert who now leads a research team.

Mortimer is mainly engaged in fungus research. His team has discovered and published more than 1,000 new species of fungi, including a number of mushroom species with ultra-high economic value, and has done a full review of edible mushrooms from around the world. Besides, he presided over four national natural science fund projects and has devoted himself to the artificial cultivation of mushrooms with high economic value.

Last year, Mortimer also received special support as a high-end foreign expert in the Yunnan provincial high-level talent introduction program.

Mortimer attributes the achievements made in China to the country's rich biodiversity resources and its great efforts to protect biodiversity in recent years.

"In the last five years, I've noticed a big increasing trend in the collaboration (and) in the types of funding projects available. So I've been able to apply for more international grants, joining collaboration (projects), such as (those between) China and Thailand and (those between) China and South Africa," said Mortimer.