Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental Science & Technology (GDEST), founded in 1958 and formerly named as Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, is under the administration of Guangdong Academy of Sciences. It is a leading research institution of China in the fields of pedology and edaphology focusing on the sciences of red soils and technology development for ecological and environmental protection. The mission of GDEST is to study core research questions of soil sciences, with global perspective and regional focus, targeting fundamental research and technology development in the broad areas of studies on the constraint of soil resources and environmental issues upon sustainability of social-economic developments, on soil erosion, soil conservation and sustainability of soil ecosystems, on nutrient cycling in red soil and its environmental impact, and on biogeochemical cycling of heavy metals and soil pollution control.