2026

Trip and Workshops

Workshops

Kelp Forest Challenge: Regional knowledge and strategies for protecting and restoring 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040.

Facilitator
Dr. Aaron Eger
the Kelp Forest Alliance
This workshop will bring together regional stakeholders to integrate the ecological, social, economic, and governance dimensions required to advance the Kelp Forest Challenge. Guided by the Kelp Forest Alliance framework for regional working groups, participants will align on shared objectives, clarify geographic scope, and begin compiling baseline information across key domains: species distribution and environmental tolerances, protection and restoration status, stressors and pressures, management prioritization, ecosystem services, monitoring infrastructure, and economics and governance. Through structured breakout sessions and facilitated plenaries, attendees will identify existing datasets, highlight critical knowledge gaps, map priority areas for protection and restoration, and explore opportunities for policy alignment and funding. The workshop will serve as a foundational step toward building a coordinated regional baseline to inform action planning and long-term governance under the Kelp Forest Challenge.

Social and economic aspects on blue carbon: how to obtain supports from people in Asia?

Facilitator
Prof. Dr. Nobuyuki Yagi
the University of Tokyo
This session will focus on social and economic aspects on blue carbon. Preliminary results of online surveys in Japan and other countries will be discussed to identify factors influencing the decisions of general public to participate in environmentally friendly activities. Any additional inputs are welcomed to discuss the question: how to obtain supports from people toward blue carbon sequestration activities in Asia?”

Underwater Drone Workshop at Libong Island, Trang

Facilitators
Prof. Jeong Ha Kim, Dr. Kwon Mo Yang, Mr. Junsu Kim, Dr. Daniela Macias
Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
As the Blue Carbon issue proceeds more extensively, the need to estimate the marine plant biomass will increase. Underwater drone would be a good tool to quantify the biomass estimation more extensively at the lower labor and cost. This workshop provides the on-site demonstration how to operate the underwater drone, how to quantify from the image to numerical data and how to organize and analyze the data. The entire event will be held in the beautiful Ko Libong for 2 days (Fri-Sat) after the forum.

Blue Finance for Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems Forum | Financing Opportunities in the Asia–Pacific

Facilitator
Siriporn Sriaram (Vivi)
GROUPE AGENCE FRANÇAISE DE DÈVELOPPEMENT
Scheduled for July 8, 2026, in Hat Yai, Thailand, the Blue Finance for Coastal Ecosystems Forum serves as a strategic bridge to transform scientific research into investable climate solutions across the Asia-Pacific region.
The workshop aims to address the significant "finance gap" hindering the preservation of mangroves, seagrasses, and seaweeds by facilitating a high-level dialogue between policymakers, financial institutions, and scientists.
Participants will explore integrated sequestration models and identify specific blue finance mechanisms to move beyond theoretical frameworks into actionable regional investment pipelines.
The session, which will be moderated by Siriporn Sriaram, Senior Project Officer for Thailand and Regional at Agence Française de Développement (AFD), will focus on regional finance profiling and bridging the gap through interactive roundtables designed to identify site-specific project pilots.
Ultimately, the forum seeks to establish a collaborative network and a localized investment roadmap to streamline future marine biodiversity and blue carbon projects throughout ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific

Sponsors

2026 APPA Regional Forum
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