The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) hosted a workshop that brought together a diverse group of scholars and experts to critically examine emerging issues related to environmental dynamics within local coastal ecosystems and develop programs for sustainable futures.
The “Island and Coastal Ecologies Workshop: A Sustainable Futures Initiative” saw several panel presenters from constituent universities of UP and some international institutions take part in discussions to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of island and coastal ecologies from the early modern period of Southeast Asia to the present day.
The panel presentations were held at the CFOS AV Hall, Miagao campus on Jan. 17-18 and the UPV Little Theatre, Iloilo City campus on Jan. 19.
The topics discussed revolved around archaeology, paleoclimatology, environmental history, environmental sciences, geography, indigenous studies, and the humanities. UP Visayas faculty members and researchers were able to talk about their research and the university's initiatives.
Prof. Abel Valenzuela, interim dean of the Division of Social Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said that there is a lot of space at UCLA that he can devote his attention to make this area of research “to be more collaborative, could be more in partnership, and to work together to derive resources so that we can continue to come together and undertake this important work.”
He also mentioned that “interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and international, local projects lead to science that can be replicated, it leads to collaborations that can be formed, and it leads to outcomes that will mitigate against the crisis that we are currently confronting.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Stephen Acabado from the UCLA Department of Anthropology said ecological research is key to the roadmap for advancing Southeast Asian studies.
“The compelling problem is long-term climate change in Southeast Asia during the last millennium with special focus on the early modern period (1400-1820),” he said.
Chancellor Clement Camposano, in his message, recognized that while addressing environmental problems is a process, the holding of the event allows for more holistic approaches to thrive.
“It is when we address start addressing problems on the ground that we find opportunities for, in fact, taking down these silos, breaking down academic walls – brick by brick,” Camposano said.
“This is really the spirit of this exercise. I’m very happy to note that your presence here, I think, is a signal that we are all gravitating towards this new multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary thinking,” he told the participants.
The partner units and institutions in this workshop include the UPV Center for West Visayan Studies, UPV Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension, UP Office of the International Linkages, Henry Luce Foundation, Program for Early Modern Southeast Asia (PEMSEA), UCLA SEA Archeology, UCLA International Institute, UCLA Asia Pacific Center, and UCLA Division of Social Sciences.
