4th Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium “Coral Reefs of the Asia-Pacific: Working Together Amidst Contemporary Challenges”

Cebu City, Philippines — Cebu, located in the center of the Visayas Region and regarded as the Queen City of the South, became the locale for the ongoing 4th Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium with the theme, Coral Reefs of the Asia-Pacific: Working Together Amidst Contemporary Challenges at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu starting June 04 until June 08, 2018.

The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) hosted the 4th Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium. First organized by the Asia Pacific Coral Reef Society in 2006,  the symposium seeks to provide a platform for educators, managers, scientists and environmentalists to converge, talk, share insights, share their knowledge and experiences in the fields of coral reef biology, management, ecology and conservation. About 600 attendees from more than 30 countries joined the symposium. This symposium is held every four years. The symposium is held every 4 years, the first in Hong Kong, next in Thailand, then the next in Taiwan prior to here.

With its theme, it hopes to forge greater cooperation and concrete programs for collaboration and preserve and sustainably manage our common natural marine heritage. It gathered together the champions of coral reef research and conservation in the Asia-Pacific with the hope of inspiring the younger generation to continue the work and understanding and using these resources wisely.

The five-day program featured presentations on the latest research techniques and emerging tends in marine biodiversity, coral reef ecology, geology, and restoration, ocean processes, and citizen science efforts. Parallel sessions and workshops were organized by leading marine science institutions in the Philippines and abroad, as well as national and international conservation projects and programs. The speakers include conservation experts from Australia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and the US.

As per Dr. Porfirio Aliño of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI), “Considering that we are the center of marine biodiversity, and one of the leading scientific bastions in the coral triangle, our hosting will highlight the importance of science and technology in conservation and good governance.”

Sen Loren Legarda, the chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, also made her presence felt when she gave her speech and urged everyone to be vigilant and to work together to conserve and preserve our coral reefs. In a nutshell, she urged everyone to act now since we live in the NOW, not in the future. We have so little time to act and mitigate climate change.

 

 

About APCRS 2018

APCRS is hosted by the UP Marine Science Institute together with the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau.

APCRS is co-hosted by the Philippine Association of Marine Science, University of the Philippines Cebu, University of San Carlos, and the University of the Philippines Mindanao. Also brought to us by the Cebu Provincial Government, Cebu Provincial Tourism Office, SMARTSeas – Strengthening Marine Protected Areas to Conserve Marine Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines, Biodiversity Finance Initiative Philippines (BIOFIN), National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) and the UP Office of International Linkages.

Other sponsors are Marine Environment and Resources Foundation (MERF), Capturing Coral Reef & Related Ecosystem Services (CCRES) project, Department of Tourism – Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Ramkhamhaeng University, Chulalongkorn University, Oceans and Lakes (Master in Science in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management), Rare, OCEANA Philippines and Nautilus.