Environmental Protection
The researchers developed two tools that can aid in alleviating these reef
monitoring and management constraints. First is the ARAICoBeH (A Rapid
Assessment Instrument for Coastal Benthic Habitats (ARAICoBeH) system,
which consists of low-cost survey equipment that can cover huge areas of both
coral and non-coral sites within a short amount of time. It provides benthic cover
and size data that are useful as metrics of the condition of a site. ARAICoBeH
uses cameras and green laser technology to map out the features of underwater
habitats to scale on a grid.
The second tool is the QuEC-QuEC (Quantifying Ecological Connections for
Quick Evaluation of Coral reefs) model. It is a national-scale model that
represents the potential connections between different types of marine organisms
in coral reefs. It spans the North Indo-West-Pacific region, which includes all
coral reefs in Philippine territory and other reefs that potentially connect with our
local reefs. QuEC-QuEC takes into account the dispersal and settlement of
marine organisms and their larvae. Put simply, the technology uses the transport
of marine life to produce patterns of connections among reefs. These connectivity
simulations can then be used in the planning and management of marine
protected area networks in the Philippines. This tool can also be used on a more
regional scale, to aid countries with overlapping connections in the mutual
protection and management of their resources.
The ARAICoBeH has already been used to obtain coral reef data in El Nido,
Palawan, while an online version of QuEC QuEC can be used to develop
interactive activities to illustrate various concepts in ecology and marine science
for students in both formal and informal education.
Funded by: DENR | DOST-PCAARRD | UP Diliman OVCRD
CLINN-GEM: Community-led Integrated
Non-Cyanide Gold Extraction Method
Non-Mercury
Herman D. Mendoza, DrEng
Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
In 2016, the Philippines produced 40.2 tons of gold or one percent of the world’s
total production. Up to 80 percent of this number are produced by 300,000 small-
scale miners across the country. Recognizing the contribution of small-scale
miners and mindful of the potential risks associated with traditional gold mining
UP Diliman SALIKSIKHAY | 23