Faculty Updates
Dr. Thomas Klinger shares his thoughts on his spring semester sabbatical...
During
this leg of my sabbatical, I have been invited to participate in a program
exploring the development and promotion of conceptual frameworks for
sustainable practices in communities which rely on shallow-water coastal marine
resources. Dr. Chang-Po Chen is Chief Supervisor of the Taipei Wetland
Society, and Dr. Hwey-Lian Hsieh is a faculty member with the Biodiversity
Research Center of the Academia Sinica, Taipei. They have asked that I join
their efforts to frame culturally relevant constructs for ecological concerns,
which could be used in public education and policy efforts. Drs. Chen and
Hseih, a husband and wife team, are hoping that my participation will
contribute experience in fisheries and aquaculture, particularly with
invertebrate animals, and insights into Western views on sustainability and on
the value ascribable to marine natural resources. They have
developed a wonderful, multipronged program to promote conservation of horseshoe
crabs in the South China Sea. They, and their students, are involved in
investigating population biology, fisheries research, educational programs, and
policy work. I am hoping to participate in their diverse programs with an
eye toward generalizing their highly successful approach and looking toward
applying the framework to other marine invertebrate animals in other parts of
the world.
Photos: top, Dr. Thomas Scott Klinger, Professor, Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences
bottom, horseshoe crabs!