UNESCO Visits MSP IPB University Department and IFMOS Ancol FPIK for Collaboration Initiation
The field station of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) located in Ancol Jakarta, namely IPB Fisheries and Marine Observation Station (IFMOS), received a visit from representatives of The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at Indonesia.
This visit is part of the initiative of educational cooperation, community and institutional empowerment, especially related to the conservation of inland waters, coastal waters, and offshore waters with a study focus on Indonesia and Timor Leste.
This meeting at IFMOS Ancol is a continuation of the previous UNESCO visit that took place at the Department of Aquatic Resources Management (MSP) of IPB University. At the meeting, the Chairmanof the MSP Department of IPB University, Prof Hefni Effendi was accompanied by one of the lecturers, Dr Mukhlis Kamal (Lecturer of the MSP Department).
Dr Mukhlis Kamal is also an expert at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in the field of Ecosystem Approach in Fisheries Management (EAFM). In his capacity as an EAFM FAO expert, Dr Mukhlis explained about travelling to Sudan, Bangladesh, and Timor Leste.
“Several times the MSP Department also hosted the EAFM training which was attended by Marine and Fisheries staff from Bangladesh and ASEAN member countries. So, in terms of international training courses, community empowerment (capacity building), institutional empowerment about fisheries and marine, the MSP Department has pocketed a good portfolio,” said Prof Hefni.
This matter, she continued, became one of the UNESCO assessment criteria regarding the capabilities of the MSP Department in organising international events such as training courses and others.
In the visit, UNESCO was represented by Adhe Lignita Wulandari and Ryuichi Fukuhara. Meanwhile, Prof Hefni Effendi and Intan Rabiyanti, SPi, MSi, were present from IPB University, accompanied by IFMOS technicians and three IPB University Vocational School students who were undergoing an internship program at the facility.
The main agenda of the meeting includes a discussion on the cooperation projects of the Department of MSP, IFMOS, and FPIK that are being pioneered, ongoing, and have been completed. On this occasion, UNESCO also explained the collaboration project related to fisheries and marine that is ongoing in Indonesia and the Biosphere reserve in Indonesia which is also a scope of UNESCO’s work.
After the discussion, the participants visited the ‘Crab Apartment’, a special facility at IFMOS that is used for the enlargement process of various types of mangrove crabs.
Prof Fredinan Yulianda as the Dean of FPIK IPB University welcomed the initiation of this collaboration. He hopes that the collaboration between UNESCO and the MSP Department of IPB University in the field of aquatic resource conservation will be released soon.
At the end of his visit, UNESCO handed over a number of books containing research collaboration and community development carried out by UNESCO in Indonesia. (*/Rz) (IAAS/IAN)
