Authors
Najeen Arabelle M. Rula, Jayvee Ablaña Saco, Joshua M. Vacarizas, Jovy Ann Patchicoy Valera, Emilia Andrea V. Sabban, and Romel U. Briones
June 2020
As one of the state universities bordering the VIP, the Batangas State University realized the need for a local state university with research focusing on the VIP. The university, thus, established a marine research center, the Verde Island Passage Center for Oceanographic Research and Aquatic Life Sciences (VIP CORALS), in 2018, and one of its first projects was to initiate the establishment of a marine repository hub for specimen collections and data on the marine flora and fauna of the VIP (Figure 1). The repository hub includes a museum for specimens of marine organisms such as seaweeds, seagrass, mangroves, invertebrates, and fish collected from the VIP. It also includes a library for published works, technical reports, and other related data. An online database was also developed to catalog the collected and preserved specimens, as well as data and reference materials related to the VIP. The repository hub is envisioned to be a centralized facility for specimen collections and data on the VIP. It aims to aid in the identification of the marine resources, as well as organize and consolidate new and existing data, to provide a comprehensive baseline knowledge on this highly diverse marine region for its conservation and sustainability. Documenting the biodiversity in the VIP through collections and surveys will also allow us to monitor the state of these resources and understand how this region contributes to biodiversity on a wider scale.
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