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IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)

Advancing knowledge and cooperation for a healthy ocean and prosperous society

Second IOC/WESTPAC Workshop on the Coral Reef under Climate and Anthropogenic Perturbations, Phuket, Thailand, 22-24 June 2010

The second IOC/WESTPAC Workshop on the Coral Reef under Climate and Anthropogenic Perturbations (CorReCAP Project) was held during 22 – 24 June 2010 at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, Phuket, Thailand in conjunction with the 2nd Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium. The workshop was hosted by the Marine Biodiversity Research Group of Ramkhamhaeng University, and the East China Normal University. Totally 15 participants participated in the workshop from Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China and some observers from Thailand and Malaysia. The workshop also invited participants of the 2nd APCRS to join the presentations and discussions on the activity of IOC/WESTPAC-CorReCAP Project.

The overall objectives of the IOC/WESTPAC-CorReCAP Project are to: understand the biogeochemical and ecological nature of coral reefs in Western Pacific Region in different geographic, physical and environmental settings, as well as different types of human interventions; evaluate the consequence of impact of climate change and human activities on the health of coral reefs and their sustainable service, and promote capacity building in areas related to research on coral reefs through sharing scientific knowledge and training activities, as well as collaboration within research networks in IOC/WESTPAC.

The second workshop of IOC/WESTPAC-CorReCAP Project was run for three days with oral presentations and open discussion on 22 June 2010. The second half of this workshop was reserved for discussion on the special issue of publication on coral reefs in the Western Pacific region, preparation of synthesis document to assess the actual situation of coral reefs and to identify the hot topics of research. The Terms-of-Reference (TOR) of IOC/WESTPAC-CorReCAP Project was also revised at this meeting. The invited participants jointly prepared the summary and synthesis document. The participants also discussed on experiences from the first training course during 15-18 June 2010 at Koh Samui, the future workshops and training courses, and the expected local contributions and hospitality from the potential hosts. Collaborations with other coral reefs related activities were also discussed.

There was a consensus that opportunities had been developed for future collaboration. It is required supports from other relevant agencies/organizations, e.g. START, APN. Identification of themes was also initiated by participants.