CIL hosted a workshop on ocean law and policy for marine environmental professionals with a focus on coral reef ecosystems, at the 5^th Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium held in Singapore on 21 June 2023. CIL was represented by Youna Lyons and Liu Yulu as lead organisers, coordinators and trainers. CIL Researcher Dita Liliansa also joined as a co-trainer for one of the sessions.

This workshop, whose participants were mostly natural scientists, focused on four current issues and specific case studies on (1) marine plastics, (2) blue carbon, (3) shared fish stocks and fisheries refugia, and (4) marine protected areas, area-based management tools and endangered species. Each session had two specialised trainers: a scientist and a lawyer.

The design of the workshop was to encourage active discussions about current issues in respective topics from participants, based on their research and working experience. Participants, guided by presentations, group discussion questions and case studies, were able to apply ocean law and policy concepts to practical scenarios and shared their insights during this whole-day workshop. The workshop agenda is accessible here. If you are a scientist interested in knowing more about the interface of law and science, you may contact Youna at younalyons@nus.edu.sg. Youna was also a plenary speaker at the APCRS 2023, see the news brief here.