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Chapter 19 Research coordination of JSPS Coastal Marine Science Program in Thailand Charoen Nitithamyong Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Introduction In Thailand, the interest in marine science was initiated during the reign of King Rama IV when the Dutch ichthyologist, Dr. Pieter Bleeker, conducted the freshwater and marine fish survey in the Kingdom of Thailand and published his findings in 1864. Foreseeing the importance of science, the King Rama IV had therefore supported the establishment of a museum for further study and exchange of fish specimens in 1874. The first marine expedition in the country was the joint Danish-Thai marine expedition in 1899 when Johannes Schmidt and Theodor Mortensen were advised by General Andreas de Richelieu who worked for the Royal Thai Navy to survey the Chang Island with the assistance of the Royal Thai Navy. Mangrove, plankton and fauna in the intertidal zone down to the 50m depth were the targets of the survey. The results led to the second Danish-Thai Expedition that explored the Gulf of Thailand using the research vessel DANA and another expedition using the research vessel Galathea (Jensen and Knudsen 2001). The most thorough expedition was the NAGA Expedition, a joint initiative between United States of America, Thailand and South Vietnam in 1959–1961 using the research vessel from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Stranger (Robinson 1974). The results of this expedition had brought about the intense interest in marine science in the country such as the marine fish resources survey in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea by the Department of Fisheries. The National Marine Science Committee was also formed in 1962 in order to set the direction of and promote marine science research and survey in the country. This particular committee had also sought international academic cooperation and has resulted in several marine related bilateral or multilateral academic cooperation, such as ASEAN-Australian project, NRCT (National Research Council of Thailand)-JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) cooperation, Swedish-Thai cooperation, not to mention that this has made Thailand a member of the UNESCO-IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission). Each cooperative program has its own emphasis. The ASEAN-Australian program was interested in coral reef, mangrove and benthic organisms while the NRCT-JSPS program focus on other as- S. Nishida, M. D. Fortes and N. Miyazaki, eds. Coastal Marine Science in Southeast Asia —Synthesis Report of the Core University Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: Coastal Marine Science (2001–2010), pp. 189–199. © by TERRAPUB 2011. 190 C. NITITHAMYONG pects. The first two Departments of Marine Science, one in the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University and the other in the Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University were founded in 1968 from the recommendation of this committee. The cooperative research program between Thailand and Japan in the field of marine science started in 1978 with the aims to promote cooperative research and exchange in research knowledge and experience. Main activities have been researcher exchange, initiation of cooperative research, academic seminar, and Doctorate Degree by research program (RONPAKU). In 1989, the bilateral cooperation was transformed to the Bilateral Core University Program with the Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University as the Thai Core Institute and the Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo as the Japanese Core Institute. Since then all the activities mentioned above have been very active. Researcher exchange was in the form of both short and long term exchanges. Several cooperative projects were launched resulting in rapid advancement of marine science in Thailand, not to mention several Thai researchers who received doctorate degree under the RONPAKU Program. Universities and government sectors involved in the cooperative program apart from Chulalongkorn University are Kasetsart University, Prince of Songkla University, Burapha University, Ramkamhaeng University, Department of Fisheries, and Marine Department (Formerly Harbor Department). The list has also expanded to cover newly established institutes or marine science programs including Department of Coastal and Marine Resources, Mahidol University, and Srivijaya Rajamangkala University of Technology (Formerly Rajamangkala Institute of Technology - Trang Province). In 2001 the cooperative program was transformed from a bilateral to a multilat- eral cooperative program between Japan and the ASEAN countries: Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the Republic of Vietnam. The multilateral program was also given a new name: “Coastal Oceanography” which later in 2006 was changed to “Coastal Marine Science”. In this multilateral cooperative program, all the member countries agreed to divide the scope of cooperative research into 4 categories. Each category has a research project with a Japanese researcher as the project leader and a co-leader selected from the ASEAN countries. Each project deliberates its research plans, workshops or academic seminars to conduct research relevant to the ASEAN countries and Japan. Building the capacity of young researchers is also the aim of the projects. The venue for regional workshop and academic seminar rotates among the member countries. National coordinators meet every year (annexed to the conference in some cases). The academic seminar is held every other year. A marked progress in the fields of marine science in Thailand was observed during this past 10 years judging from the praise of the foreign marine scientists who gave the assistance during the tsunami incident in 2004. Part of the success is owing to the capacity building of the young scientists from several international cooperation including JSPS multilateral program. National Coordination and Scientific Activities In the past, the national committee for the cooperative research between NRCT and JSPS had the responsibility in the selection of young scientists to participate in a scientist exchange program in order to build their capacity. The committee consisted of representatives from universities who have marine science or related field curricula as well as government agencies who are responsible for related coastal ac- Research coordination of JSPS Coastal Marine Science Program in Thailand tivities. The universities involved were Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, Prince of Songkla University, Burapha University, Ramkhamhaeng University, and Rajamangkala University of Technology Srivijava. On the other hand, the government agencies involved were the Marine Department, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Department of Fisheries, and NRCT which is the granting agency for the cooperative research. However, the particular role of this committee was discontinued as the scientist exchange program is now in the form of workshops and the project or group leader is responsible for the participant selection without consultation to this committee. The sole role of this committee is recommendation of the application for the RONPAKU Program. At present, most of the communications among the committee is by e-mail, the means which is applied to the communication between the national coordinator and the NRCT-JSPS members as well. Nevertheless, as most marine scientists in the country belong to a close community, tracking of the research work is not the problem. The marine science community in the country also agrees to host the marine science conference every other year starting in 2008. Membership As the format of the cooperation has transformed from bilateral to multilateral, scientist exchange program has also been modified to training workshop. To be invited to the training workshop organized by each project or groups in the project, one has to be an active member. The host country is allowed to involve more young researchers with the country’s own financial support. There are 35 active members of the NRCT-JSPS: 5 in Project-1, 10 in Project-2, 17 in Project-3 and 3 in Project4 (details to be provided in the project leader reports). The focal persons catego- 191 rized by the projects and the groups are presented in Table 1. Accomplishments The NRCT has been the sole funding agency of the academic cooperation between Thailand and Japan in the JSPS Program. Apart from supporting the 4 research projects during the 10 years multilateral cooperation, NRCT also supports national conferences and workshops, and administration of the program. Funded research projects During the multilateral cooperation, 4 research projects have been funded by the NRCT with a total amount of 4,261,630 Baht. a. A two-phase project (2003–2005): Accumulation of Organochlorines and Heavy Metals in Marine Mammals from the Thai Waters with Dr. G. Wattayakorn as the principal investigator. The Japanese counterpart researcher is Dr. H. Harino. b. A two-year project (2003–2005): Ecology of Noctilluca in Bang Pakong River Mouth - Ang Sila, Chon Buri Province with Dr. T. Lirdwitayaprasit as the principal investigator. The Japanese counterpart researcher is Dr. K. Furuya. c. A one-year project (2003–2004): Succession in Phytoplankton Communities and Populations of Bacteria Affecting Phytoplankton Communities in the Coastal Area of Chon Buri Province with Dr. A. Piumsomboon as the principal investigator. The Japanese counterpart researcher is Dr. K. Fukami. d. A three-year on going project (2008– 2010): Noctiluca Red Tide Formation Mechanism in the Eastern and Western Coasts of the Upper Gulf of Thailand with Dr. T. Lirdwitayaprasit as the principal investigator. The Japanese counterpart researcher is Dr. K. Furuya. This project is supposed to receive another year of support. Affiliation Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, PhyaThai, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Department of Aquatic Science, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Chonburi 20131, Thailand Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, PhyaThai, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Institute of Marine Science, Burapha University, Chon Buri 20313, Thailand Department of Fishery Biology, Faculty of Fishery, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hatyai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand Name and position Anukul Buranapratheprat Assistant Professor Thaithaworn Lirdwitayaprasit Associate Professor [email protected] Thidarat Noiraksar Research Scientist [email protected] Chatcharee Kaewsuralikhit Associate Professor [email protected] Anchana Prathep Assistant Professor [email protected] Project 3 Seaweeds and Seagrasses Group Project 3 Seaweeds and Seagrasses Group Project 3 Seaweeds and Seagrasses Group Project 2 Project 1 Project 1 Project Diversity, distribution, ecology and abundance of seaweed and seagrass Systematic and Phylogeography of Padina and Halimeda Seagrass community and productivity A study on the development and preservation of seaweed and seagrass resources along the Andaman Sea Coast Diversity of the Non-articulated Coralline Red Algae (Rhodophyta: Corallinaceae) Culture of Gutweed ( Ulva intestinalis Linnaeus) for supporting shrimp polyculture syste Seagrasses tissue culture for reservation and utilization Status of Marine Biodiversity Resources along Nang-rong Beach, Jorake Island and Juang Islands, Amphur Sattahip, Chon Buri Province Transplanting of Sargassum at Rat Island, Sattahip District, Chon Buri Province Harmful algal bloom Satellite data and ecosystem model to investigate phytoplankton dynamics and controlling mechanism of plankton blooms Integration of all the relevant knowledge to develop an ecosystem prediction model to assess risks due to red tide in Gulf of Thailand toward global environmental changes Descriptive coastal and estuarine oceanography, Numerical modeling, Coastal Erosion Current research field List of focal person categorized by project and group. Pramot Sojisuporn Assistant Professor and Deputy director [email protected] Table 1. 192 C. NITITHAMYONG Affiliation Institute of Marine Science, Burapha University, Tambol Saensook, Amphur Muang, Chon Buri 20131, Thailand Phuket Marine Biological Center, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, P.O. Box 60, Phuket 83000, Thailand Phuket Marine Biological Center, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, P.O. Box 60, Phuket 83000, Thailand National Science Museum, Ministry of Science and Technology, Technopolis, Klong 5, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, PhyaThai, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Name and position Khwanruan Srinui Senior Scientist [email protected] Suree Satapoomin Senior Scientist Chief, Marine and Coastal Resource Assessment and Productivity Unit [email protected] Ukkrit Satapoomin Senior Fishery Biologist Chief, Marine and Coastal Resources Exploration Unit Somchai Bussarawit Director, Natural History Museum [email protected] [email protected] Gullaya Wattayakorn Associate Professor [email protected] Project Project 4 Project 3 Benthos Group Project 3 Fish Group Project 3 Plankton Group Project 3 Plankton Group Current research field Coastal pollution and its impacts The compounds include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tributyl-tin and organochlorine pesticides in coastal waters, estuarine sediments and marine mammals Biodiversity research of marine and coastal invertebrates and vertebrates Diversity of coastal fish along the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand Marine plankton ecology, with focus on zooplankton Zooplankton biodiversity Research coordination of JSPS Coastal Marine Science Program in Thailand 193 194 C. NITITHAMYONG Fig. 1. Group photo of the first joint seminar on coastal oceanography, 2003 in Chiangmai, Thailand. Conferences Since 2001, the multilateral core institute program in coastal marine science in Thailand has arranged 7 academic conferences as follows: a. “The First Conference on Coastal Oceanography” was the first international conference organized after the start of the multilateral cooperative program (Fig. 1). The venue of the conference was Chiang Mai Hill Hotel, Chiang Mai Province and the date was 14–16 December, 2003. The budget for this conference was received mostly from JSPS and NRCT. The conference drew more than 150 researchers from the member countries and comprised 4 sessions according to the 4 projects set up. There were 70 oral and 41 poster presentations. b. “The Gulf of Thailand: The Physical and Biological Aspects Observed by Satellite Remote Sensing” was the academic conference under Project-1 convened on February 4, 2005 at Patumwan Princess Hotel, Bangkok. The conference was attended by 64 researchers from Japan and Thailand. Three sessions in the conference were 1) the physical outline of the Gulf of Thailand, 2) biological aspect, and 3) progress on marine environment monitoring technology. The financial support was provided by JSPS. c. “Material Transport in the Coastal Sea of the Southeast Asia” was another academic conference under Project-1 (Fig. 2a). The venue of the conference was the Sichang Marine Research Training Center, Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Chon Buri Province. The date was 8–9 February 2007. The conference was attended by 34 researchers from member countries. Three main topics of the conference were 1) research works in the Gulf of Thailand, 2) research works in the important ecosystem in other ASEAN countries, and 3) major techniques for studying physical oceanography. NRCT provided the travel and other expenses of the Thai researchers while JSPS was responsible for the expenses of the Japanese and other ASEAN country researchers. d. “Education and Research in Coastal Oceanography: 36 Years of Experience as a Basis for the Future” was the national conference held on May 19, 2006. The venue of the conference was the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. NRCT provided the budget for the conference which drew 91 Thai researchers. The 4 main topics of the conference were: 1) Research and study in the past 36 years, 2) Marine Science Curricula in Thailand, 3) Thai-Japanese Cooperative Research in the Future, and 4) Thai Marine Science Consortium. e. “Marine Science Conference 2008” was the first national conference during the multilateral cooperative program and was convened during 25–27 August 2008 at Metropole Hotel, Phuket. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) was the main host with the co-sponsorship of NRCT. The conference drew 415 participants with 4 keynote speeches, 82 oral and 42 poster presentations. Research coordination of JSPS Coastal Marine Science Program in Thailand 195 (a) (b) Fig. 2. Group photos of the Project I conference in 2007 (a) and 2009 (b) in Sichang Island, Chulalongkorn University. f. The conference of Project-1 “Material Transport in the Coastal Sea of the Southeast Asia” was held again during 25– 27 August 2009 at the Sichang Marine Research Training Center, Aquatic Resources Research Institute, 2 years after the first one in 2007 (Fig. 2b). g. Marine Science Conference 2010 entitled “Marine Biodiversity in Thailand: Challenges and Opportunities” was organized during 28–30 June 2010 at Royal Phuket City Hotel, Phuket (Fig. 3). The DMCR was again the main host with NRCT as the co-sponsor. The conference drew 469 participants with 5 keynote speeches, 84 oral and 70 poster presentations. Funded workshops Nine workshops were organized in Thailand during the multilateral cooperative program. All workshops were financially supported mainly by JSPS with the financial support from NRCT for the expenses of the Thai participants. These nine workshops are: 196 C. NITITHAMYONG Fig. 3. Group photo of the organizers of National Marine Science Conference in 2010 “Marine Biodiversity in Thailand: Challenges and Opportunities” in Phuket, Thailand. Fig. 4. Group photo of the seaweeds and seagrasses workshop participants at Kasetsart University and Koh Samui in 2009. a. JSPS International Workshop for Inter-calibration of Hazardous Chemicals, 10–14 March 2003, at the Department of Marine Science, Chulalongkorn University. b. JSPS-PMBC International Workshop on Taxonomy of Marine Fish, 27–29 September 2003, at the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. c. JSPS-NaGISA International Workshop on Taxonomy of Marine Polychaetes, Research coordination of JSPS Coastal Marine Science Program in Thailand 197 Fig. 5. Activity during the zooplankton diversity workshop in 2009, at Chulalongkorn University and Burapha University. 27–29 September 2003, at the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. d. JSPS-PSU Regional Workshop on Taxonomy and Ecology of Macroalgae and Seagrasses from Talibong Island, Trang Province, Thailand, 24–28 September 2003, at the Department of Biology, Prince of Songkhla University. e. NRCT-JSPS Training Course on Methods of Zooplankton Ecology and Identification, 18–23 December 2003, at the Department of Marine Science, Chulalongkorn University. f. JSPS-NRCT International Biodiversity Workshop: Taxonomy and Ecology of Seaweeds and Seagrasses, 12– 20 August, 2009, at the Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University and Koh Samui, Surat Thani (Fig. 4). g. JSPS-PMBC Training Course and Workshop on Fish Taxonomy and Diversity, 15–20 March 2009, at the Southern Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Songkhla Provivce. h. JSPS-NRCT Workshop on Zooplankton Biodiversity in Southeast Asia, 5–14 October 2009 at the Institute of Marine Science, at Burapha University and the Sichang Marine Science Research and Training Center, Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University (Fig. 5). i. PMBC-JSPS Training Workshop on Identification of Small Shrimps in Thai Waters, 22–26 March 2010, at the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Publications During the multilateral cooperative program, two books, two proceedings, and one manual were published. There were at least 20 research papers published in the peer-reviewed journals not to mention several scientific papers presented in conferences (Appendix-2). 198 C. NITITHAMYONG Scientist exchange During the 10 years of the multilateral cooperative program, the scientist exchange process has been modified to training workshops. This is a good way for capacity building as the workshops aim at enhancing the knowledge of the participants and expecting them to train the new or younger generation of scientists in their respective countries. The numbers of scientist exchange (total man-days) since the start of the multilateral cooperative program until 2010 are as follows: From Thailand to: Japan, 336; Malaysia, 79; Vietnam, 86; Philippine, 93; Indonesia, 76. To Thaialand from: Japan, 903; Malaysia, 213; Vietnam, 176; Philippine, 42; Indonesia, 177. Advocacy and Community Outreach As Thailand has a long coastline and is blessed with abundant marine resources, fisheries is one of the major industries. During the past two decades, however, small scale fishers have observed the decreasing trend of these resources. Knowledge in marine science from the academic and governmental agencies, especially those on coastal ecosystems encompassing diverse habitats such as mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds and mud flats, has been very useful in educating the public and raising awareness to conserve these valuable ecosystems. Public participation is now the key success factor for coastal conservation in the country as science, while recognized as the knowledge base, cannot solve the problem alone. During the tragic 2004 tsunami incidence, the marine scientists have shown to the public the solidarity of their effort to assess the damage and provide assistance for rehabilitation (Department of Marine and Coastal Resources 2005, Chulalongkorn University 2005). Such involvement also created the opportunity for raising the public awareness on the importance of the marine ecosystem to the wellbeing of mankind. Contribution of JSPS Program During the cooperative program which dated back more than 30 years since the first bilateral program in 1978, the marine science community in Thailand has gained enormously in terms of knowledge and experience. A number of young scientists received short or long term training in renowned Japanese institutions not to mention the few Thai researchers who received doctorate degree from Japanese universities. These experiences have a positive impact on their academic and research careers. The benefits remain even though the number of young scientists was cut down to a minimum due to the limited budget. However, the benefits from the training workshops are not only the capacity building on the part of the researchers but also the opportunity for the marine scientists in the ASEAN region to interact with each other which could result in more cooperative studies in the future after the program ends. The cooperative research projects funded by the NRCT have also increased the chance for Thai researchers to interact a great deal with the Japanese researchers resulting in exchange of knowledge, idea and experience. Several useful field guides for different flora and fauna were also produced as a result of this cooperative effort. Constraints and Prospects The new arrangement of the multilateral cooperative program gave the project or group leaders the prerogative to select the member in their project/group to participate in the workshop. On one hand this is a good practice if the project/group leaders knew the situation in the member countries real well. On the other hand, this has put the ASEAN national coordinators in a Research coordination of JSPS Coastal Marine Science Program in Thailand difficult position as they can no longer ensure fair distribution of the chance for capacity building to various institutions within their countries. Communication between the national coordinator and project/group leaders was limited. Nevertheless, in Thailand this was not a big problem as the national coordinator had good contact with all the active members and could keep track of their activities. Moreover, the project/group leaders have been in close communication with their members. Such practices will result in establishing cooperative research projects in the future, not only between the ASEAN member countries and Japan but also among the ASEAN countries themselves. This is hoped to strengthen our knowledge and harmonize our effort in the region. At the Marine Science Conference 2010, three major issues were identified, namely, marine biodiversity loss, coastal erosion and impact of climate change on the marine ecosystem. There was also an agreement that a consortium should be formed to replace the National Marine 199 Science Committee which has been dissolved some years ago. The consortium will be a united body aiming to fill gaps in knowledge and management in the field of marine science as it is impossible for any academic or governmental institution to have the complete knowledge or manpower to cover these 3 major issues. The consortium will be responsible for setting the direction of and promoting marine science research and survey in the country. The consortium is also responsible for offering international graduate degrees. Acknowledgements The information for this chapter was kindly provided by all the active NRCT-JSPS members especially those listed in Table 1. During the 10-year multilateral cooperative program I have learnt a lot on marine science from my colleagues from Japan and ASEAN countries as well as gained friendship and trust. In the marine science prospective, it is impossible to work as a single nation. A united effort to work in harmony for at least the whole region is essential. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the multilateral cooperative program has come to an end. References Chulalongkorn University (2005) Survey, Research and Study for Rehabilitation of Natural Resources and Environment. A Final Report submitted to Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 115 pp. Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (2005) Rapid Assessment of the Tsunami Impact on Marine Resources in the Andaman Sea, Thailand. 76 pp. Jensen KR, Knudsen J (2001) 100 years anniversary for the First Danish Marine Biological Expedition to Thailand. Phuket Mar. Biol. Center Spec. Publ. 25: 517–525. Robinson MK (1974) The physical oceanography of the Gulf of Thailand, Naga Expedition. Naga Report Vol. 3, Part 1, 125 pp.