The Land Rover In Action Exhibition week (14 - 18 Nov 2011) at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London will coincide with Land Rover's 8th Anniversary with China Exploration & Research Society (CERS), one of Land Rover's six Global Humanitarian and Conservation Partners.

Together with Land Rover, the partnership with China's 'greatest living explorer' and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society - Wong How Man, has expanded his exploration work to conservation of some of China's most endangered natural and cultural heritage. Wong famously led CERS expeditions that pinpointed the sources of the Yangtze (2005), the Mekong (2007) and the Yellow River (2008).  

In 2011, the focus of CERS' summer expedition was to reach the Salween River source, a geographic undertaking that has evaded geographers and scientists for decades.  Despite immense difficulties and setbacks, including a sudden and bitter snow storm at the height of summer, the CERS team reached the source on 14 June. 

CERS' latest wildlife projects include researching the Tibetan Antelope calving ground at the Arjin Mountain Nature Reserve, an extremely remote region of Xinjiang, fringing upon the Tibetan plateau, as well as the rare and exotic breeds of; the Asiatic Beaver, Wild Yak, Black-necked Crane and Musk Deer.

The CERS' caving teams were also recently featured on a CCTV 10 Beijing, a major state television science channel, for discovering of a new species of cave-dwelling blind fish and there are plans for four further caving expeditions in 2012. This week CCTV Channel 12 primetime will be airing three new half-hour episodes on a variety of CERS' projects and expanding into full-hour slots for three episodes in 2012. 

Cultural preservation is another focus for CERS and the teams have preserved 15 traditional thatch-roofed houses of the Li minority people of Hainan Island in southern China, in support of the Lisu Hill Tribe community, as well as successfully saving one of the world's last remaining timber courtyard houses of the Lisu hunting/collecting tribe of remote Yunnan Province in southwest China. Their future plans will include beekeeping research, a pressing issue worldwide.

Wong How Man, Founder of CERS and world-renowned explorer said; "CERS take on multiple expeditions and projects throughout the year with a large, diverse team from around the world. For our explorers and scientists, Land Rover not only provides a means of transportation through some of the most difficult and inhospitable terrains on this planet, but also act as an essential shelter in the world's most extreme weather conditions along the way."

Bob Grace, President JLR China added; "We are proud of Land Rover's achievements in preservation of fragile environments and endangered wildlife around the globe.  In China, we are glad to work with China Exploration and Research Society to bring our philosophy in sustainability to the local community. For the future, we will continue to expand the scope of our care for nature and continuously reinforce the commitment to making our environment better."

The Land Rover In Action Exhibition will feature the work of Land Rover's six Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partners;  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Born Free Foundation, Biosphere Expeditions, China Exploration & Research Society (CERS),  Earthwatch Institute and Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

- ENDS -

Media Enquiries:

WaiLo Li, Press Officer for Land Rover Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partnerships  +44 (0)7557847561 or wli@jaguarlandrover.com 

Jaguar Land Rover's media website: http://newsroom.jaguarlandrover.com

Notes to Editors:

• The Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partnerships forms part of an integrated approach to sustainability and sit within Land Rovers' Our Planet. (www.landrover.com/ourplanet )

• Land Rover has six Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partners including; International Federation of Red Cross  and Red Crescent Societies  (IFRC), Born Free Foundation, Biosphere Expeditions, China Exploration & Research Society (CERS),  Earthwatch Institute and Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

• Founded in 1986, China Exploration & Research Society (CERS) explores remote regions of China, conducts multi-disciplinary research, conserves nature and culture and educates through the dissemination of its results and findings. CERS was established as one of Land Rover's six Global Humanitarian and Conservation Partners in 2003 and celebrates a quarter century of exploration in 2011.
• CERS have a total of nine project sites including; Zhongdian Centre, Tai Tam Research Centre, Tibetan Mastiff Kennel, Tibetan Nunnery, Black-Necked Crane Museum, Burmese Cat Café, Yak Cheese Site, Hainan Hongshui Site, Tea House Clinic and Exploration Museum.  For more info, please visit:  www.cers.org.hk
• CERS' educational contribution has included hosting a 30 summer interns students, stemming from secondary school to university level. Students have come from a diverse background- including students from; Eton, Choate, Taft, as well those from more deprived settings within China and Hong Kong, thus providing fertile ground for diverse and integrated education

• China/ Chinese Central Television (CCTV) is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers worldwide.
• The Land Rover In Action Exhibition will showcase the invaluable work of the Global Partners and their numerous projects utilizing Land Rover's all-terrain vehicles, stretching across the four corners of the world.  The exhibition is open to the public and entry is free.

• Ben Saunders will be speaking on the 'Insights of a Polar Explorer' on 15 Nov - limited public places available, please RSVP LandRoverLecture@grayling.com >
  
  Ben Saunders is a British polar explorer and endurance athlete. He is best known for skiing solo to the North Pole in 2004, and for blogging live from his expeditions. He is the third in history and the youngest by ten years to reach the North Pole alone and on foot. Ben holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton, a straight line distance of 1032.3 km. (www.bensaunders.com)

• The exhibition opening hours are; Mon - Fri 10:00-17:00 (except Tues 15 Nov when the exhibition will be open from 10:00- 16:00 and 19:30 - 22:00)

• Lecture times for Tues 15 Nov - doors open for public at 18:30, lecture starts 19:25 -20:30 (last entry is 19:15, admission is free upon RSVP). Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition space after the lecture on Tues 15 Nov.

• PopBangColour's Ian Cook is a UK-based radio-controlled car artist will also be present to create 'live' artworks of 'Land Rovers In Action' all week. He has recently been commissioned by Jaguar Land Rover careers (www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com). For more info, please visit:  www.popbangcolour.com