At the opening dinner of the First International Conference on Biodiversity & Chemical Biology of Marine and Terrestrial Life in the Philippine Region on 16 October, newly appointed secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Gina Lopez and Atty. Edgardo Chato, governor of Bohol, emphasized the value of science-based decisions when they appealed to researchers to help in the conservation and development of marine biodiversity in the Philippines. Lopez, who could not come to the event due to the typhoon, sent her message through Undersecretary Isabelo Montejo.
For four days, local and foreign scientists will be in Panglao Island in Bohol to talk about technological innovations that harness the wealth of biodiversity in the country and have useful applications in healthcare and community development.
Panglao Island is one of the species-rich areas in the Philippines. In 2004, a team of 80 scientists from 17 countries confirmed the discovery of dozens of new species in the island.
The conference, which is the first of its kind to be hosted in the Philippines, is organized by the UP Diliman Marine Science Institute, Institute of Biology and Philippine Genome Centre in partnership with experts from the University of Utah, California Academy of Sciences and Drexel University.
More on the conference here.
