Phl hosts AsPac meet on vulnerability assessment

MANILA, Philippines –  The Philippines is the venue of an Asia-Pacific conference on “Vulnerablity Assessments to Natural and Anthropegenic Hazards” on Dec. 7-10.

The four-day scientific meeting, to be held at the Traders Hotel in Pasay City, is organized by the Asia-Pacific Association of Forest Research Institutes (APAFRI) in collaboration with the Los Baños-based Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB), Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), and Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI) through the initiative of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).

DENR-ERDB Director Marcial Amaro Jr. said the symposium aims to foster the sharing of experiences among scientists and researchers of Asia-Pacific countries concerning vulnerability assessment of different ecosystems, especially on watersheds and coastal zones.

“The Asia-Pacific region is in need of more published works on vulnerability assessment to assist decision-makers in addressing climate change-related problems,” he said.

Amaro also said that the conference intends to enhance the capability of the participants from 13 countries in conducting vulnerability assessment in their respective countries and build linkages.