Yajie Song

Yajie Song

Research Scholar & Executive Director
Yale University & Tsinghua University
yajie.song@yale.edu & songyaj@tsinghua.edu.cn
(1) 203-376-2840 & (86) 1360-164-6338

Major Positions Holding or Held:

• Co-founder & Executive Director, Environmental for Sustainable Development Leadership Program (ESDLP), Yale University - Tsinghua University, 2002 - Present;
• Research Scholar (Sustainable Development, Executive Education, Practice of Urban Ecosystem & Social Forestry, International Development & Economics), Yale University, July 2005 - Present
• Associate Research Scientist (Sustainable Development, Executive Education, Practice of Urban Ecosystem & Social Forestry, International Development & Economics), Yale University, July 1 1998 - June 2005;
  
• Director, Yale University Sustainable Development Leadership Program (SDLP) April 1999 - 2002;
  
• Co-Principle Investigator, Yale-SJTU Shanghai Ecocity (SHECO) for the 21st Century, Sept 1996 - Present;
  
• Chief Representative, PCC Specialty Products, Inc. (USA), Shanghai Office, Shanghai, China (April 2000- September 2002);
  
• Marketing Manager - Asia Pacific, PCC Specialty Products, Inc. (USA), (February 1992- September 2002);
  

Adjunct Positions:

1. Senior Research Scholar, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Sept 2002 - Present;
2. Co-founder & President, the Global Institute of Environmental & Sustainable Development, (GIESD) Inc., August 2003 - Present;
3. Vice President (Sustainable Development & Executive Education), International Fund for China's Environment, USA, Nov 2002 - Present;
4. Adjunct Professor, School of Management, Lanzhou University, 2002-Present;
5. Member of Advisory, Research and Development Committee, Beijing Forestry University, 2002-Present;
6. Adjunct Associate Professor, Lanzhou University, 1996-2002;
7. Consultant, United Nations Development Programme, 2001-2002;
   
8. Adjunct Professor of Urban Ecosystem, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1997-2000;
   
9. Consultant, United Nations Development Programme & the World Bank, 1997;
   
10. Advisor, Committee of China Urban Development Report (CUDR), China Academy of Sciences, Sept. 2001 - Present.
11. Consultant, International and Development Economist - Asia and China for The Altman Companies, USA (1984-1996); William-White & Co., USA (1986-1990); C&J Industries, Inc., USA (1985-1997); Vitramon Inc., Thomas & Betts, USA (1987-1992) ; T. Sendzimir Engineering Co., USA (1984-1995).
    

Professional Membership:

• Member of American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, USA;
• Member of American Economist Association, USA;
  
• Member of Board of Research & Development, Beijing Forestry University. China
  

Education:

• 1995-1998 Yale University, Postdoctoral Associate
• 1989-1995 Yale University, Doctor of Forestry & Environment Sciences (PhD)
• 1988-1989             Yale University, Master of Forestry Sciences (MFS)
• 1986-1987             Yale University, International & Development Economics (MA Honors)
• 1985-1986             Alliance College, Cambridge Springs, PA, USA (Industrial Management and International Economics)  (BS Honors)
• 1980-1985             Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China (Economics & English) (BA Honors)

Area of Expertise:

  Dr. Yajie Song's current research and development focuses on environmental, social and ecological sustainable development in China and the USA. Improving the sustainability in human dominated habitats/ecosystems is of his particular interest. Within his strength, he spends much of his time on theories of sustainable development, co-management plans of community lands, and to initiate, develop and implement capacity building leadership programs for Chinese decision-makers from governments, corporations, universities and non-government organizations (NGOs).

His current research projects in China include: environment & sustainable development leadership training - a joint program with Tsinghua University and another Asian Pacific regional leadership programme with UNEP-Tongji University, and previously with Nanjing Forestry University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University over a variety of topics concerning the wisdom of the leaders regarding sustainable development, urban ecosystem theory and assessment and industrial environmental management (with Aetna School of Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University), water-harvesting in northwest China (with Lanzhou University), upper Yangtze River watershed ecosystem ecology (with Sichuan University), community forest management system in southern rural China.

Since the 1980s, he has conducted research on the share-holding integrated forestry tenure system in Sanming prefecture, Fujian Province, China. His research in this area is the one and only most detailed and long-term monitoring of adaptation and evolution of community land management systems.

Dr. Song has been advising International Fund for China's Environment, a NGO based in Washington DC since 2002. Recently, he and two other Chinese professors at Tsinghua University, China initiated a China focused not-for-profit environmental research institute - the Global Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Development (GIESD) to promote environmental NGO and researches in China.

In addition, Dr. Song has led (1990-2002) sustainable market research and development for PCC-Reed Rico and PCC-Eldorado, divisions of PCC Specialty Products, Inc., a US leading aerospace component manufacturer. He also has worked as an expert of international and development economics in Asia and Pacific regions and has advised several US corporations during since mid-1980s.

Professional Activities:

• Share-holding Integrated Forestry Tenure (SHIFT) Project - The shift of China's rural forestry management systems in Southern China from post Mao's era to post Deng's reform is a unique research subject identified by Dr. Song and his colleagues. Dr. Song initiated the SHIFT project during his Ph.D. study in late 1980s, advised by Professor William R. Burch, Jr., and Dr. Gordon T. Geballe, among others. Dr. Song has been conducting the SHIFT research for 16 years in Sanming, Fujian province, one of Yale's 16 research sites in China. Three SCI research articles were published jointly with Song's colleagues (1997, 2002 and 2004). The SHIFT, as one important rural, social, and forestry eco-system research study, will advance to a new phase in 2005 to 2010. In 2000 John Bruce wrote: "It is the system named as SHIFT (the Shareholding Integrated Forestry Tenure) by Yajie Song (1991, 1996). His reporting on the system in Sanming Prefecture of Fujian Province is the most detailed non-government account we have of the system."

  · Yale-Tsinghua Environment & Sustainable Development Program (ESDLP) - Executive and leadership education for emerging Chinese leaders concerning environment and sustainable development is critical for the future of China. Dr. Song is the co-initiator and Executive Director of the Yale-Tsinghua ESDL Program from innovation, fundraising, and implementation to adaptation. ESDLP focuses on leadership and executive training primarily for Chinese mayors, governmental officials, senior executives, and leaders from public and private organizations. Yale and Tsinghua have significant influence on their respective countries as "the cradles of top leaders". This Yale-Tsinghua partnership exhibits a high level of impact on academic excellence and leadership. Professor and Head Jining Chen from Tsinghua and Deputy Dean Alan Brewster from Yale are the Program's co-principal investigators. The first session (May - June 2004) was successfully held in Beijing, with a focus on the ecological and healthy development of China's rapidly growing urban regions. Twenty mayors and other urban leaders from 13 Chinese provinces attended the second session. The 2005 session was held July 26-August 12, 2005 at Tsinghua and Yale. Dr. Song has also been adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Tsinghua University Department of Environmental Science and Engineering since 2002.

  · UNEP-Tongji Asia Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment and Sustainable Development - the Asia-Pacific leadership training on environment and sustainable development has been an important challenge to this regional sustainable development and a top priority of UNEP and UNDP. Dr. Song participated in the initial development of the UNEP-Tongji ESD program. He attended its first brainstorm meeting and served as a resource person in September 2003 in Beijing. The first UNEP-Tongji Asia-Pacific Leadership Program was held in Tongji University, Shanghai in July 2004. Dr. Song attended and presented his research initiative, "The Urban Environmental Crisis Management (UECM)" which received attention from 35 participants of 17 Asia-Pacific countries. This is the first time that UECM was named as a specific research project. Song presented UECM in May at Tsinghua, in July at Tongji and again, as one course, at Lanzhou University on September 20, 2004. The UECM course syllabus and research proposal development are in the process. A group of faculty, students, and researchers from Tianjin, Suzhou, and Shenzhen held the UECM initial meeting at Tsinghua January 23-24, 2005. The UECM team is working on this research.

  · Development of China's Non Government Organization - The Global Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (GIESD) (2003- present) - The world non-government organization (NGO) plays important roles in the environment and sustainable development. However, the environmental NGO in China is still in its early developing stage. Dr. Song and his research colleagues, Professor Qian Yi and Dean Jining Chen of Tsinghua University, have long envisioned the development of Chinese NGOs. The NGO development in China has lagged behind China's economic growth and world trends since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. Inspired by the initiatives of the World Resource Institute (WRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) led by Dean Gus Speth in the late 1960s, and the Urban Resource Initiative in Baltimore by Professor Bill Burch in the 1970s, Dr. Song, Professor Qian and Dean Chen created a China-oriented NGO - the Global Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Development (GIESD) in August 2003. The GIESD innovation is a major contribution to China's management of environment and sustainable development. Yale's experience and help is critical for GIESD's early growth because of many adverse factors facing Chinese non-government organizations: small number and size, lack of funds, limitation of actions, ineffective protection for organization rights, and serious institutional restrictions. Many challenges, as well as opportunities, are inherent in China's environmental NGO development, such as improper orientation, disordered management systems, unstable organization, and limited impacts. All GIESD members individually and voluntarily contribute their time and skill with no salary. The GIESD initiative is not alone but has greater significance. The GIESD's non-conflict-interest policy with concerned institutions specifies that GIESD give the first review right of all prospective research proposals, projects and activities to concerned institutions; while any possible support and donations from the public and individuals will also be firstly directed to the institutions that her members are associated with, such as Yale, Tsinghua, etc. Recently, well-known Chinese environmental leaders and professors committed to the GIESD initiative. They are: Professor Niu Wenyuan of China Academy of Science; Professor and Vice President Zhao Jianfu of Tongji University; President K.K. Poon of Sino Forest Corporation, Canada; and the following from Yale University: Dr. Song's long-time advisor Professor William Burch; Associate Dean Gordon Geballe; and Professor Michael Rechlin.

  · Collaboration with Lanzhou University, the Prospective Western Sustainable Development Leadership Program (WSDLP) (1994-present) - Lanzhou University in the western frontier of China is an important education and information base in the West China. It has had a relationship with Yale F&ES since the early 1990s.
  Dr. Song initiated the collaboration between Yale F&ES and Lanzhou University in 1992. He first worked on the Water Harvesting Technology research in 1994 with late Professor Zhao Song Ling. Thereafter, China's Ministry of Education and Lanzhou University funded over USD 150,000 to invite 13 person/time Yale F&ES and other faculty, including former F&ES Dean Jared Cohon, Professor William Burch, Associate Dean Gordon Geballe, and others to Lanzhou during 1996-1998. Doctoral students and faculty exchanges between Yale F&ES and Lanzhou have sustained Lanzhou University, provided research and faculty support to Seth Cook (F&ES Ph.D. 2004) from 1997-2004. Lanzhou University designated Dr. Song as Adjunct Associate Professor in October 1996 and again Professor in October 2003. In November 2003, Vice President Yang Shu of Lanzhou University led a delegation to Yale. Yale F&ES Deputy Dean Alan Brewster and Vice President Yang discussed and renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 19, 2003. Dr. Song has provided six lectures since October 2003 to the undergraduate and graduate students of Lanzhou University. His lectures cover the areas from social, urban, and rural ecosystems and management. Currently, he also co-advises two undergraduate students, three master students, and one Ph.D. student at Lanzhou University.

  · The Baishuijiang National Reserve Conservation and Tibetan Community Partnership Sustainable Development Project (2003 - present) - The Baishuijiang National Panda Reserve in Southwestern China is the largest endangered panda habitat in the world, in the poorest Tibetan minority community. Covering 213,750 km2, it is a complex geological structure and landform where 36 pandas died in 1974 along the Baishuijiang Minbaogou watershed ONLY, and the per capita income in 2001 was USD 72.5 ONLY). It was categorized in the group "A" of nature reserves (with the highest priority) by WWF. Dr. Song joined the 2004 summer field study in Baishuijiang with a research team from Lanzhou University to initiate this project (2005-2013, with a budget of USD 1.5 million). Professor William R. Burch, Dr. Gordon Geballe, Professor Michael Rechlin and Professor Chad Oliver will advise this project. Professor WEI Huilan of Lanzhou University, Deputy Dean and Professor WEN Yali of Beijing Forestry University, Professor LIU Xuehua of Tsinghua University, and other junior researchers and students from the above three Chinese universities will join this research. This project is in the fundraising proposal process and will be presented to Yale.

  · China Urban Development Report (CUDR) - The urban sustainable development of China is critical to the success of China's overall development. How to guide this development from scientific aspects is of great importance. CUDR is the first Chinese non-government assessment on China's cities by individual researchers and scholars. Dr. Song is co-initiator and Member of Advisory Committee of China Urban Development Report (CUDR). CUDR is a research non-profitable and non-government initiated in November 2001 by 15 senior scholars and researchers led by Professor NIU Wenyuan, Chief Scientist of the Sustainable Development Group at Academy of Science, People's Republic of China. CUDR presents an annual report, evaluating the performance and carrying capacity of sustainability of over 668 Chinese cities by 10 major sustainable assessment metrics and methods in Chinese and English. The report informs leaders of China, of China's ministries officials, congressmen and congresswomen, governors, mayors and university presidents as well as selected international organization leaders.

  · Special Project for Administrators and Researchers from Key-institutions (SPARK) Project - Along with bringing Yale faculty to China, Dr. Song and Associate Dean Geballe are devoted to bringing qualified students to Yale. The Special Project for Administrators and Researchers from Key-institutions exemplifies their efforts. Since the establishment of the project in 1996, it has aimed at providing interdisciplinary and environmental leadership education at Yale SFES for qualified candidates from China. About ten students have either completed or still conducting their studies at FES as Master's, Ph.D., or visiting scholars. The SPARK program continues to bring fresh minds into FES, and likely is this program evolving into formal joint educational programs with international universities in near future. Currently, negotiation over the agreement is ongoing.

  · Sustainable Development Leadership Program - Shanghai Special Industrial Environmental Management (IEM) Seminar - Dr. Song is the Director of SDLP Shanghai Special IEM Seminar, an intensive executive training course on environmental management, industrial ecology and sustainable development. This Seminar was conducted in May 5-11, 2002 and co-organized by the Sustainable Development Leadership Program and the Industrial Environment Management Program of Yale FES and Aetna School of Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Forty-two leaders from thirty-three corporations and organization in China participated in the five-day seminar with constructive and inspiring feedback

  · Sustainable Development Leadership Program (SDLP) - After three year of planning and preparation, Dr. Song successfully launched the first two sessions of Sustainable Development Leadership Program in Nanjing, China, in 2000 and 2001 respectively. This program brought together diversified and qualified participants who worked collaboratively with program faculty to examine sustainable development from unconventional perspectives to test new solutions and obtain feedback on implementation strategies. SDLP has trained ninety-six leaders from governments, corporations, universities, and other public and private sectors, exhibiting an increasing respect and recognition in China. SDLP demonstrated Yale's significance and capacity in leadership training in China with its quality education and research.

  · United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Dr. Song was the Consultant to the China City Planning, Management & Development for the 21st Century Program, the second largest UNDP Project in China, which would set the development model for China' medium and large cities in the 21st Century. He joined the Project Feasibility Assessment Team as one of the two international experts. He visited and evaluated the six selected pilot cities and provided city-specific advice on eco-city designing and implementation. He co-composed the Project Final Document for UNDP China and China International Center for Economic & Technology Exchange, the UNDP acting agent in China.

  · Gaoyao International Symposium on Green Economy and Sustainable Development - Dr. Song initiated and organized this symposium in Gaoyao City, Guangdong Province of China. Over two hundred people from southern China participated in the event. The Symposium established a model for planning urban sustainable development and organizing short-run international symposia in China's middle-level cities. This model and has been widely adopted.

  · Shanghai Ecocity for the 21st Century (SHECO) Project - Dr. Song co-initiated the SHECO Project with Aetna School of Management (ASOM) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in 1996. This project is the first project on economic evaluation of urban ecosystem of Shanghai, the biggest city of China, by ASOM of SJTU, one of the top universities in China. Later, ASOM of SJTU broadened its research and education from solely economic optimization to a combination of economic and environmental balance. SHECO's progress was highlighted at SDLP Shanghai Special Seminar for Industrial Environment Management in May 2002.

  · United Nations Development Programme / The World Bank - Dr. Song was Consultant to China Key Studies Development Project (CR. 2210-CA). He visited and assessed six Chinese national environment research laboratories across the country in June 1997. He advised on planning, management and development and co-authored "China Key-Study Project Environment-Oriented Laboratory Evaluation Report" to the World Bank, UNDP and Chinese Government.
  

Dr. Song has actively participated in teaching college students and mid-career leaders in Asia, particularly China. Lecture topics include:

• Environment for Sustainable Development in Asia Pacific
  
• Urban Environmental Crisis Management
  
• Urban Planning, Management and Development in China
  
• Urban Environmental Crisis Management especially for Asian Pacific Regions
• Executive Education on Industrial Environmental Management
  
• Ecosystem Ecology & Social and Community Forestry in Asia
• Natural Resource Management and Systems in China
• Green Economy, Marketing & Global Green Supply Chain
• Sustainable Marketing Development and Investment in Asia

• Rural Natural Resources Management System Reform

Yajie Song, Guoqian Wang, W.R. Burch, Jr., M. A. Rechlin, From Innovation to Adaptation – Lessons from Twenty Years of SHIFT Forest Management System in Sanming, China,  Forest Ecology and Management 191/1-3 (2004): pp. 225-238. 

M.A. Rechlin, A.L. Hammett, W.R. Burch, Y. Song, Sharing the Wealth: A Comparative Study of the Distribution of Benefits from Community Forestry Management in Southern China and Nepal. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, Volume 15 (2) 2002:  1-23.

Yajie Song, William Burch, Jr., Gordon Geballe, Liping Geng.  New Organizational Strategy for Managing Southeast China’s Forests: the Share Holding Integrated Forestry Tenure (SHIFT) System. Forest Ecology and Management 91 (1997): 183-194. 

Yajie Song, “Share Holding Integrated Forestry Tenures—a Case from South China”, UMI, University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, 1995.

Yajie Song, “The Experiment of the Share Holding Forestry Tenure Management in Southern China”, A Research Paper presented to the IUFRO Tsukaba Symposium, Japan, 1991. 

• Theories, Methods and Practice of Sustainable Development

Yajie Song, Wenyuan Niu, Graeme Berlyn.  3T, 3M & 3P—Core Questions of Sustainable Development Leadership.  Publication in process.

• World Bank and UNDP China Mission Report

Jared Cohon, Yajie Song, Gordon Geballe, etc.  Report to the UNDP – China, World Bank, Rural and Social Operations Division on the Key Studies Development Project  by the Environmental Review Team,  13 June 1997

R.  Von Burkard, Yajie Song, etc. Report to the UNDP-China and CICETE on China City Planning, Management and Development of the 21 Century, by the UNDP-CICETE Joint Evaluation Team, April 3, 2002.

The detail list of publication and professional articles, presentations are available upon request.