Delegates from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), led by Atty. Teodoro Jose S. Matta, is actively participating in Coastal Research, Equipment, and Field Observation Training at the One Tree Island (OTI) Research Station in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, which started on Wednesday, November 22.
This event has drawn representatives from various government agencies and higher education institutions in Palawan and the MIMAROPA region.
The training’s first day commenced with an insightful lecture on Coral Eco-Morphodynamics delivered by Thomas Fellowes, a coastal and marine geoscientist from the University of Sydney. Following this, the participants engaged in the preparation and deployment of instruments, including the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) sensors, vectors, and pressure transducers for wave monitoring.
The trainees also seized the opportunity to explore the underwater world through snorkeling around the Great Barrier Reef.
The second day of the training focused on the monitoring of crown-of-thorns and coral reef conditions. Utilizing underwater cameras, the participants conducted observations at different sites in One Tree Island. A seminar by Mr. Jonah Sullivan, Geo-Spatial Advisor of Geoscience Australia from the University of Sydney, delved into the Marine Resources Initiative (MRI), a project funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and implemented by PCSD in Palawan. Forester Felizardo B. Cayatoc, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) of Palawan, enriched the session with a lecture on the multistakeholder initiative in the restoration of the marine ecosystem on Snake Island.
The day concluded with an interactive data processing workshop, demonstrating the attendees’ active involvement and commitment to the training’s objectives.
The training is expected to end today, November 26.
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