With the theme:” Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Traditional Practices for More Effective Coastal Resource Education and Management”, the celebration of the annual meeting of the Regional Consortium in Coastal Resource Management workshop was hosted by our very own Silliman University in Dumaguete. This workshop is composed of four universities in Asia and was celebrated from February 25 to 27 (today).
This celebration was attended by five different scientists and educators from different Asian countries such as: Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, and of course by the Philippines.
According to the Dr. Ben Malayang III, Silliman president, he will keynote the symposium while Dr. Napoleon Juanillo Jr. of the Commission on Higher Education will give the plenary talk.
What is Symposium?
According Dr. Hilconida Calumpong of the Silliman University Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences, symposium is a movement wherein it’s goal is to share and document information on indigenous knowledge and sustainable traditional practices in Asian coastal zones. The goal also focuses on how these can be applied to sustainability and climate change adaption and mitigation.
In Dr. Hilconida Calumpong’s invitation on the symposium, she wrote:
“The coastal and marine environments are under heavy pressure as the world’s population continues to grow. Our current exploitation practices have left many parts of these environments, especially the shallow coastal zones, impacted and less productive, threatening our own survival and placing the future of our children at risk.”
“Environmental education and sustainable development are two of the main thrusts of the majority, if not all countries of the world, and as members of institutions of higher learning in these countries, we are faced with the responsibility of educating future citizens so that they will be armed with the knowledge, skills and commitment to utilize the world’s resources sustainably. This has become more urgent now as we are experiencing the effects of climate change.”
The other universities which were invited to attend the said meeting are: Univesitas Kristen Artha Wacana at Kupang, West Timor, Indonesia; Universitas Sam Ratulangi at Manado, Indonesia; Madras Christian College at Chennai, India; Uiversitas Katolik Soegijapranata at Bendah Dhuwur, Semarang, Indonesia, Lady Doak College at Maduria, India; and Mawlamyaing University at Mawlamyaing, Mon State, Myanmar.