The College of Fisheries and Natural Sciences (CFiNS) hosted the orientation and planning workshop of the ACIAR-funded project Enhancing Marine Environmental and Resource Governance in Indonesia and the Philippines (EMERGE) for the sites in Palawan at the Puerto Princesa Campus on Aug 8-9, 2024. With a significant focus on fisheries and coral reefs, this project aims to enhance the governance capabilities of key partners and stakeholders in the Philippines and Indonesia in the quest for equitable, productive, and sustainable marine environments.

The workshop was spearheaded by Dr. Nicholas McClean and Dr. Michael Fabinyi from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), with Dr. Vera Horigue from the Macquarie University (MQU), both in Australia, and Dr. Rene Abesamis and Dr. Maria Vanessa Rodriguez from the UP Marine Science Institute (UPMSI). The research team from WPU is composed of Dr. Lota A. Creencia, Dr. Jean Beth S. Jontila, Dr. Herminie P. Palla, Dr. Ma. Lotus E. Patiluna, Mr. John Roderick V. Madarcos, and Mr. Niño Jess Mar F. Mecha.

The research team talked with our University President, Dr. Amabel S. Liao, about the project’s potential impacts in Palawan and at the regional level of Southeast Asia.

This two-day workshop was a testament to the power of collaboration. It provided our team with an incredible opportunity to get to know each other, learn from each other, and strategize about how to proceed with the project implementation.