The 12th symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems (MTE-12) was held in the historical city of Shenyang, northeast China in August 16–20, 2015. A total of 150 participants from 18 countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany,India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, UK, USA, and China joined the symposium. The 3rd Workshop of the UNESCO-IUGS International Geo science Programme was held accompanied with the MTE-12. The scientific sessions were held on August 16–18 at the Liaoning Mansion Hotel, Shenyang, which included 4 plenary lectures, 89 oral presentations, and 37 poster presentations. A proceeding issue will be published in the geoscience journal of Global Geology. About 70 participants