The World Seagrass Conference and the 9th International Seagrass Biology Workshop

Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University is delighted to invite executive personnel, scientists, researchers, and students to attend the World Seagrass Conference on November 21-25, 2010, Phuket, Southern Thailand and the 9th International Seagrass Biology Workshop on (ISBW-9): November 27-30, 2010, Trang, Southern Thailand

The aims of the World Seagrass Conference and the 9th International Seagrass Biology Workshop are to promote seagrass research and to highlight the importance of seagrasses to the Southeast Asian region. Seagrass ecosystems are a critical part of coastal ecosystems throughout the region, filtering coastal waters, and providing the basis of a food web and nursery grounds and habitat for many marine organisms, some of which are used for local fisheries. In Southeast Asia, the functional aspects of seagrass ecosystems require more research and the values of these habitats need better understanding by managers and government agencies. Seagrasses are in decline worldwide, and are in Southeast Asia threatened by coastal development, aquaculture and fishing practices as well as land-derived sediment and nutrient run-off. We, therefore, would like to highlight the importance of seagrasses by bringing both this conference and workshop to Thailand.

Activities

World Seagrass Conference: Seagrass scientists, students, and managers, as well as representatives from NGOs, government sectors and policy makers will present their works orally or as posters under various topics related to seagrasses. The presentations will include two keynote lectures on the current state of seagrass research and problems such as climate change and seagrass conservation on a global scale. A half-day excursion will be arranged where all participants will be able to observe the Indo-Pacific seagrasses in Phuket.

The ISBW-9 “Seagrass Conservation and Restoration in Southeast Asia”: The invited participants with special interest in Southeast Asian seagrass systems will present their contributions under the topics of seagrass conservation and restoration. This is to emphasize the importance of seagrass ecosystems and to increase the awareness of seagrass conservation as well as to share and tackle the problems facing the region. A full-day excursion will be arranged where all participants will go to the field to observe the seagrasses of Trang Province, which has the largest seagrass beds in Thailand. There will be a strong emphasis on demonstrations towards seagrass management in the area by experts in the fields of restoration, monitoring and conservation of tropical seagrass systems.

The Seagrass Photo Competition: Registered participants are invited to send a seagrass-related photo for the competition (one entry per person!). Winning photos will be assembled to create a 2011 Seagrass Calendar. The photo should have a resolution of not less than 300 dpi; please include the photo credit and a brief description of the location, seagrass species, and other pertinent details. Calendars will be sold as a fundraiser for ISBW scholarships; photo winners receive a free calendar. Deadline is July 15, 2010. Student Competition: Advanced M.Sc and Ph.D. students in active degree programs, as well as those who have received advanced degrees within a year, are invited to enter the Student Oral Competition. All other graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to present their research as posters, and to enter the Student Poster Competition.

Language: The official language of the conference, including all abstracts, will be English. For more information please click : http://www.sc.psu.ac.th/seagrass/index.html