Island Conference in Fiji

[Charles Evans Birkeland]

Symposium on Coral Reefs during IYOR 
at the VIII PSA Intercongress in Fiji

One of the major scientific events during the
International Year of the Reef (IYOR) is a joint
symposium of the Pacific Science Association's
Scientific Committee on Coral Reefs (PSA-SCCR) and
the 1997 Annual Meeting of the International
Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) in Suva, Fiji, at
the VIII PSA Inter-Congress, 13-19 July 1997. 
This coral-reef symposium will take place one year
after the launching of the IYOR at the 8th
International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama.

Among IYOR projects that are already scheduled for
presentation at the PSA Inter-Congress in Fiji are
the results of the PSA-SCCR assessment of the
state of the coral reefs in the Pacific, a project
funded by the U.S. Department of State's (DOS)
International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). Ten
representatives of regions in the Pacific will
present papers that will be published in a book on
the status of reefs in the Pacific; the
publication is being funded by Sea Grant at the
University of Hawaii. This book should be
available at the symposium in Fiji. A
complementary project called GLOCOR (Global Coral
Reef assessment), funded by a Winslow Foundation
grant, will also be presented at the symposium.  A
major focus of the GLOCOR
project is to resurvey the quantitative transects
that were surveyed decades ago in order to
quantitatively assess changes in
Pacific reefs over the past decades.

Contributed papers on all aspects of coral-reef
science are welcome, but we are extending special
invitation to papers in which examples are given
for successful management programmes for coral-reef resources.  We feel that the most effective
method of promoting wise management of reef
resources is not by outlining steps to take
(telling people what to do) or giving alarming
news about the state of the reefs. Rather, we urge
the demonstation of case histories of methods that
have proven successful, such as the well known
results of marine reserves at Apo and Sumilon
Islands in the Philippines.

For comparative observations, dives are planned on
one-day field trips in or near Suva Bay and Beqa
Reef.

To obtain the VIII Pacific Science Inter-Congress
Second Circular with registration forms, Abstract
forms, and information on accommodation, due
dates, and field trips, please write to: 

VIII Pacific Science Association Inter-Congress
Secretariat
School of Pure and Applied Sciences
The University of the South Pacific
P.O. Box 1168
Suva, Fiji Islands

E-mail psa at usp.ac.fj (best means of communication)

     FAX + (679) 314 007

The web site for the Inter-Congress is

http://www.usp.ac.fj/~psa

Participants intending to present a paper or
poster are required to submit abstract(s) to the
Secretariat by January 1997. In order that we may
organize the symposium, please also send a copy of
the Abstract to:

Dr. Charles Birkeland    or   Dr. Richard W. Grigg
UOG Marine Laboratory         Department of
                                   Oceanography
Mangilao, Guam 96923          University of Hawaii
                                   at Manoa
USA                           1000 Pope Road
                              Honolulu, Hawaii 
                                   96822
                                   USA

FAX +(671) 734-6767           FAX  + (1) 808 956-                               9225

E-mail birkelan at uog9.uog.edu  E-mail
                         rgrigg at soest.hawaii.edu



On Tue, 28 Jan 1997, Sarah Quentin/Greg Grantham wrote:

> Does anyone have a URL or email address where I can obtain some information
> on the upcoming Islands Conference (including coral reef sessions) in Fiji?
> Thanks.
> Greg Grantham
> College of the Redwoods
> 1211 Del Mar Dr.
> Fort Bragg, CA 95437
> Sarah Quentin & Greg Grantham
> email:  squentin at mcn.org
> -----------------------------
> 
>