[Coral-List] 1st Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium - Invitation and Call for Papers

[Karenne Tun]

Dear Coral Listers,

On behalf of the chair and the organising 
committee, I am please to announce the 
invitation and call for papers for the 1st 
ASIA PACIFIC CORAL REEF SYMPOSIUM, to be held 
at The Chinese University of Hong Kong from 
June 18-24, 2006. The theme for the symposium 
is “Coral Reefs: Cooperation and Collaboration 
for Better Conservation”. 

Full details and instructions for the 
symposium can be found at the following 
website: 
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/bio/APCRS/index.htm 

We would be grateful if you could help us 
spread the word and publicise the symposium 
through your network.

We are looking forward to your full support 
and participation in the symposium.

Regards,

Karenne Tun
WorldFish Center
International Organising Committee 




INVITATION and CALL FOR PAPERS

Dear colleagues and friends,

The Indo-West Pacific is a region of global 
significance. It houses >50% of the world’s 
marine species. Coral reefs constitute one of 
the most important marine ecosystems in this 
region and are mainly distributed in some of 
the most critical biodiversity hotspots. The 
areas where coral reefs are found support a 
human population of >500 millions. Many of 
these people are under- privileged and depend 
heavily on the coral reefs as a source of 
their livelihood. Excessive exploitation of 
the reef fisheries contributed to the 
degradation of these reef systems. In other 
areas, rapid economic development and the 
associated pollution problems also contributed 
to the destruction of the coral reefs.

There is an increasing recognition of these 
threats to coral reefs and of the urgent need 
to address them. However, there is a lack of 
an effective forum, especially for coral reef 
workers in the Asia Pacific region to share 
their experiences and to learn from each 
other. It is with this in mind that the First 
Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium is being 
organized with an aim to provide a forum for 
scientists, educators, managers, 
environmentalists and other local stakeholders 
in the Asia Pacific region or working in this 
region to share their knowledge and 
experiences on all aspects of coral reef 
biology, ecology, management, and conservation 
strategies with the hope of finding a common 
and unified voice in preserving this marine 
natural heritage.

This symposium will be held at The Chinese 
University of Hong Kong, from June 18 to 24, 
2006. The theme of the meeting will be “Coral 
Reefs: Cooperation and Collaboration for 
Better Conservation”. As Chair of the Local 
Organizing Committee and the International 
Organizing Committee, it is my pleasure to 
invite you to participate in the unfolding of 
this exciting event. At least eight keynote 
speakers have been invited to speak on their 
major fields of research with a focus in the 
Asia Pacific region. About 16 mini-symposia 
are being organized, each representing an 
important field of research in the region. 
There will be contributed paper and poster 
sessions where the latest findings in coral 
reef researches could be presented. We 
strongly encourage young scientists, reef 
workers and students to attend and to present 
their findings in this meeting. There will be 
competition for best student papers as well as 
for best poster.

This symposium will also serve as the founding 
congress of the Asian Coral Reef Society. It 
is expected that a greater cooperation and 
more concrete programs for collaboration among 
all the stakeholders in this region will be 
formulated as a result of this Symposium. I 
sincerely hope that you could be a partner in 
the making of this history and be with us as 
we march into a new era of challenges and 
opportunities.

Yours truthfully,

Put O. Ang, Jr.
Chair, Local Organizing Committee
Chair, International Organizing Committee