KUCHING: Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) will be hosting a webinar entitled ‘Seagrass Ecology and Diversity’ on March 16 at 10am via Zoom.
In a statement it said the webinar will be delivered by Prof Dr Muta Harah Zakari from the Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
It noted that the webinar will provide latest insights into the ecology and diversity of seagrass in Malaysia, adding that more nations are recognising the rich biodiversity of seagrass in their waters due to its economic and climate value.
Explaining further, it said seagrass is key to a healthy ocean, coastal communities, and initiatives to address climate change challenges.
“Prof Dr Muta will share interesting findings on current seagrass distribution and status, particularly highlighting losses and various threats to seagrass in Malaysia.
“In addition, she will also speak on the significance of seagrass in terms of its ecological functions, source of food and as an essential reservoir of coastal biodiversity,” it said today.
SBC disclosed that over the past 20 years, Prof Dr Muta and her team have conducted studies on taxonomy and biology, ecology and distribution, utilisation, molecular genetics and bioprospecting of marine macrophytes and freshwater plants.
She has been involved in Projects on Seagrass Ecology, sub-section Marine Ecology of Aquatic Resources and Environmental Studies of the Straits of Malacca and Third Country Training Programmes on seagrass and mangrove ecology under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“Prof Dr Muta has authored more than 200 publications in various journals, proceedings and books. She is also a reviewer of various journals and serves as a member of the World Seagrass Association (WSA) and International Society for Southeast Asian Agriculture Science (ISSAAS).
“Grab this opportunity to get first-hand insights from an expert and register via Zoom at https://shorturl.at/pKX18. Please share with your friends. This talk will also be streamed live on SBC’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sarawak.biodiversity.centre.
“Social media users are encouraged to “Like” or “Follow” SBC’s official Facebook page for the latest updates and information,” it added.
