Wei Fuwen is academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive vice director of the Endangered Species Scientific Commission. In 1984, Wei studied under "Panda Papa" Hu Jinchu. He  participated in the scientific research conducted at the field observation station in Baixiongping, Tangjiahe—the ecological research on giant pandas—and the second giant panda resource survey of China. He has been long engaged in the conservation biology research on endangered species such as giant pandas and red pandas.