University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, along with faculty and staff, Mayor Mitch Roth and State Representative Gregor Ilagan, on Wednesday welcomed a delegation of elected officials and university presidents from the Eastern Philippines as part of their week-long tour of Hawaiʻi’s forestry and aquaculture research initiatives.
The group of 13 delegates, led by the Assistant Secretary for International Relations at the Philippine Department of Interior and Local Government, Lilian De Leon, traveled to Hilo from Oʻahu where they had visited with officials from the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Division of Aquatic Resources, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard. In the spirit of US-Philippines friendship, the group also toured Pearl Harbor.
The purpose of the statewide tour was to learn and exchange with local practitioners on environmental law enforcement of the fisheries and forestry sectors.
The delegation represented elected officials and university presidents from the eastern coast of the Philippines, which borders the Philippine Rise, an extinct volcanic ridge off the eastern coast of the Philippines which is home to a wide diversity of aquatic life. The Philippine government is seeking ways to preserve and protect the aquatic life in this area.
The Rise has been designated as a protected food supply exclusive zone by the Philippine government since May 2017. Mining and oil exploration are banned in the Philippine Rise. In 2018, 500 square kilometers (190 sq mi) was declared a Strict Protection Zone exclusive for use for scientific research by the Philippine government, while about 3,000 square kilometers (1,200 sq mi) of the marine area is now designated as a Special Fisheries Management Area.
While in Hilo, the group toured the university’s Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center in Keaukaha to learn about research being done on using aquaculture for food sustainability as well as commercial opportunities such as raising tropical reef fish for aquariums and developing a commercial oyster producing industry.
The delegation also visited the 110-acre UH Hilo farm laboratory in Panaʻewa where they were introduced to the development of a wide variety of fruit trees, horse stables for use in the UH Hilo equine science program, and the farm’s beekeeping facility.
Read full story at UH Hilo Stories.