The Nakamura lab partners with the Kajima Corporation, Aklan State University, and the University of the Philippines Visayas for the Integrated Approach for Coral Reef Conservation and Rehabilitation using Ecosystem Modeling and CORAL NET (InCORE) Project!
The InCORE project is a coral reef rehabilitation project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Tangalan, Aklan, Philippines. As the project is still new, initial meetings and recon work are the current priority. So from February 23 to 28, Nakamura -sensei and two members of the lab went to Tangalan to meet with its partners, and the local government to set the primary objectives of the project, and to do the initial fieldwork for the project.
From left to right: Nakamura-sensei, Dr. Yamaki from Kajima Corp., Mayor Fuentes of Tangalan, Dr. Takasuna from Kajima Corp., and Nadaoka-sensei
Nakamura-sensei gave a short lecture on numerical simulations of coral reef modeling.
We were joined by contingents from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) led by Dr. Wilfredo Campos and Aklan State University (ASU) led by Dr. Yasmin Tirol. The meeting was fruitful, with the objectives set and Mayor Fuentes of Tangalan assisting us with the necessary equipment and manpower for the coastal fieldwork in the coming days.
The first activity is coastal water sampling along Tangalan cove. To do sampling on a small boat was very difficult, and since it rained in the morning, the waves were rough. But, we powered through the seasickness and were able to collect the necessary water to be transported to the lab!
The second activity is to install long-term sensors for the suitable areas for the CORAL NET. With the help of Tangalan’s Bantay Dagat , professional divers employed by Tangalan, and Dr. Ryan Basina of ASU, we were also able to install a sensor set underwater!
The third and final activity is to do river water sampling to understand the input water to the sea. During this activity, it was raining as Aklan was experiencing heavy rains and strong winds from a low-pressure area. !
We also celebrated Nakamura-sensei’s birthday!
It was a hectic schedule partnered with unstable weather, but we were able to do most of our objectives in this fieldwork. We were tired, but it was really worth it as the coral reef in Tangalan is expansive and beautiful! We are looking forward to the next part of the project! We are also looking forward to eat more sisig , sinigang , and sugba soon!