Since Sunday, an “International Workshop for Mangrove Protection in Asia and Pacific Countries” sponsored by UNESCO has been going on. Researchers from 14 countries have been attending the workshop. A representative of UNESCO, Miguel Gott said at the occasion that, “understanding environmental problems is not sufficient in both industrial countries and developing countries." UNESCO has been providing environmental education with the cooperation of various institutions, he said. Researchers from Asia, Africa and other continents are attending this workshop, which will end this Thursday the 30th. They are discussing protection of mangroves and visiting mangroves in Iriomote island. A professor of Ryukyu University, Shigemitsu Shokita lectured ecological diversity and the similarity of mangroves in Okinawa and Thailand, with the help of slides.
