Sanjiang Experimental Station of Wetland Ecology (SESWE), which is located in southeast Tongjiang city, Heilongjiang province (47°35N，133°31 E), was found in 1986 and is administered by the Northeast Insititute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It became one of the key stations of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) in 1992, and one of the national field stations in 2005. The Sanjiang Plain, one of the largerest freshwater marsh regions in China, belongs to the temperate continental monsoon of a seasonal frozen zone. Marshy meadows, humus marshes and peat fens are three main wetland types in the Sanjiang Plain.

　　　　　  The research of SESWE focuses on long-term monitoring of the key ecosystem processes of wetland ecosystems in the Sanjiang Plain, and provides the basis for managing wetland ecosystems, especially for sustainable resource utilization, wetland restoration and biodiversity conservation. The research direction of SESWE is as follow:

• Carbon, water and nutrient cycles in wetland ecosystems
• The structure and function of wetland ecosystems
•  Restoration and management of degraded wetlands ecosystems

　　　　　  Recently, SESWE has established a wetland monitoring network and covered the main wetland types in Northeast China, including Da Xing’anling Forest Wetland Ecosystem Research Station,Xingkaihu Lakeshore Wetland Ecosystem Research Station and Panjin Coastal Wetland Ecosystem Research Station. All the stations have been equipped with advanced meteorology and hydrology monitoring system and apparatus for vegetation and soil sampling. This has built a solid foundation and provided an invaluable opportunity for the development of wetland research of Northeast Insititute of Geography and Agroecology.