NAY PYI TAW, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A second annual academic conference of the Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS-SEABRI) -2018 kicked off in Myanmar's capital of Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday.

The two-day conference, co-organized by the CAS-SEABRI and the Forest Research Institute of the Forest Department of Myanmar's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, aims to enhance the academic communication between researchers of CAS-SEABRI and Myanmar research institutions and to promote cooperation in biodiversity research and conservation in Southeast Asia.

The conference focuses on three major issues -- Review of the research progress and achievement of 2017 of CAS-SEABRI, final reports of three research groups and five regional international cooperation fund project teams launched from 2015 and the interim reports of nine such teams launched from 2016, annual work plan consultation meeting of CAS-SEABRI for 2018.

Speaking at the opening session, Dr. Li Yin, a senior CAS official, thanked researchers from relevant institutes of the two countries for carrying out six major field surveys in northern Myanmar over the past two years, discovering more than 300 new species of plants, fish, spiders and shrimps for the first time in the world and were published internationally.

He underlined the discovery as essential not only to increase human knowledge about the rich and rare biodiversity but also to increase the awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving the biodiversity and ecosystem in Myanmar and Southeast Asia.

He urged for continued support and cooperation from the Myanmar side.

SEABRI is a platform for both collaborative research and training of young scientists. Many young researchers and postgraduate students from Myanmar have taken part in the scientific training programs and workshops organized by SEABRI in such areas as taxonomy, breeding, production technology of crops.