Sarawak to welcome global peat experts next August

THE 15th International Peat Congress in 2016 will be held in South-east Asia for the first time come August.

It will be hosted by the Malaysian Peat Society in partnership with the International Peatland Society and supported by International Union for Soil Science (IUSS) and International Union for Forest Research Organisation (IUFRO). It will also be the first edition to be organised with the support of a foreign chapter – Peat Society of Indonesia.

The theme of the congress, Peatlands in Harmony – Agriculture, Industry & Nature, will relate to an integrated global perspective for the responsible use of peatlands and the preservation of their unique dynamics and natural biodiversity.

Lulie Melling, congress general, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “The Congress will also provide for researchers, academics and practitioners an ideal platform to congregate, share information and discuss their scientific results and experiences with particular reference to peat and peatlands in the tropics.”

“We are honoured to host this congress which will be in Asia for the first time. Previous congresses were always in Europe and America and the downside of this was the prohibitive costs, especially for Asians from developing nations.

“This event is very important for Malaysians and Asians in general as it will allow more delegates from Asia to attend and benefit from scientific, industrial and governmental discussions. They do not have to spend a lot on travel. It’s an opportunity for the people in the Asia Pacific to attend an International Congress and be able to listen to talks by leading authorities in the field and also to be able to know more about temperate and boreal peat especially in relation to sustainability issues, all at reduced rates.

“Previous congresses held in Europe and US were really too expensive for Malaysians and Indonesians and the numbers that went were small. This will be a good platform to present scientific papers. It also gives a chance for the participants a chance to have international network, exchange and sharing of ideas and have personal discussions with light-minded delegates from around the world. Finally, we hope to be able to build up greater awareness to the world on what is tropical peat and at the same time as a platform to build research collaboration.”

The event is expected to draw the largest number of Asian delegation, at least slightly more than half of the total delegation of 1,500.

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