Professor Minyan ZHAO is the Program Manager in the Division of Science Programs at the Secretariat of the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO) and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing. She earned her PhD and later worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS. Her research specializes in Environmental Interpretation of Protected Areas and Regional Sustainable Development.

She also serves as a nature education specialist for the Chinese National Committee for Man and Biosphere Programme (China MAB), UNESCO, and is also an Ecotourism Specialist Committee Member of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the National Park Administration of China. Additionally, she was responsible for drafting the Forestry Standard, “Guidelines for Natural Education”.

Her international experience includes serving as a Visiting Scientist at the University of British Columbia and the University of Guelph in Canada. She is a Certified Interpretative Trainer (CIT) of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), USA, and has been invited to develop training programs for nature interpreters in national parks and other protected areas.

She has published over 50 scientific papers as the first author and authored five books on environmental interpretation, nature education, and the management of national parks and protected areas. She has led various scientific projects focused on research related to Environmental Interpretation Systems and visitors' environmentally responsible behavior.

With the support of ANSO and China MAB, she led a team in drafting the Hanma Consensus Initiative titled “Strengthening the Sustainable Development of Nature Education and Promoting Harmonious Coexistence between Man and Nature”. The initiative was officially announced on the 2023 International Day for the Biosphere Reserves.

Currently, to advocate for the inclusion of nature education as a topic at the Fifth World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China in 2025, she has taken on the role of Executive Coordinator for the “Tell the Story of Nature Education to the World” side event. This initiative invites international friends and partners to collaborate in promoting nature education globally.