..... ang mga balita na pinapalabas. at least ito ay hindi "misplaced priority" har har har.kagalang galang ito para sa bansa natin

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Filipina scientist recognized in Sweden

Updated 03:54am (Mla time) Nov 13, 2004
By Ma. Diosa Labiste
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on page A19 of the November 13, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

JURGENNE Honculada Primavera began her career in natural science immersed in aquaculture research, particularly breeding shrimps in mangrove areas. But she fell in love with the mangroves and became their most avid protector, even against the shrimp culture industry.

For her stand, Primavera became the only Filipino scientist to receive an honorary doctoral degree from the Stockholm University in Sweden, capping more than 10 years of mangroves studies that earned her the reputation of being a turncoat in the shrimp industry.

Primavera, a senior scientist of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Seafdec) in Tigbauan, Iloilo, was conferred a Ph.D. in Natural Science, honoris causa, on Sept. 24.

Her citation reads: "In cooperation with scientists from Stockholm University she has shown that mangroves are key areas for recruitment of fish and shrimp and that development of convention shrimp farming may have far reaching negative economic and social implications. In order to create sustainable alternatives, she is now doing research on more sustainable integrated farming of shrimp, fish, crabs and mangroves."

Primavera was given a crown of laurel leaves, symbolizing freedom; a diploma in Latin, as written evidence; and a ring, symbolizing loyalty to science.

But she outdid other awardees when she was presented a bouquet of red, white, blue and yellow flowers-the colors of the Philippine flag-by Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Victoria Bataclan.

The ceremony took place at the Stadshus or City Hall, where the Nobel Prizes are also handed out. The country flags of the six foreign honorary doctors-Finland, Israel, Norway, the Philippines, Switzerland and the United States-fluttered in the Blue Hall.

The university awarded eight jubilee doctorates (to those who earned their Ph.D.s 50 years ago), 162 new doctorates and 13 honorary doctorates during the two-hour rites.

Primavera is the only Southeast Asian to receive the honorary degree this year and the only Filipino in the university's roll of more than 150 honorary doctors.

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Primavera wrote more than 60 scientific articles, review papers, manuals, book chapters and technical reports, and co-authored 20 papers. Many of the subjects touched on impacts of fish and shrimp farming, the ecological value of mangroves, marine conservation and management, and livelihood opportunities from mangroves.

Her ties with the Stockholm University started in 1991 when she wrote a paper on the ecological and socioeconomic impact of shrimp farming for Ambio, the journal of the Swedish Royal Academy of Science.

The paper came to the attention of Prof. Nils Kautsky, chair of the Department of Systems Ecology, and Dr. Carl Folke of the Beijer Institute, who sent her a note of appreciation. Primavera met them five years later.

The university started sending graduate students to the Philippines and arranged exchange visits of researchers between Sweden and the Philippines. The collaboration also resulted in co-authorship of review papers in the internationally respected journals, Science and Nature.

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Primavera also put together a team to write the "Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines-Panay." The book saw print early this year, a handbook-cum-field guide-cum-coffee table book presenting taxonomic references on 35 mangrove species.

The publication was funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and has Seafdec as one of the publishers.

Primavera's co-authors are Resurrecion Sadaba, Ma. Junemie Lebata and Jon Altamirano. Lebata and Altamirano are with Seafdec, while Sadaba is a professor of the University of the Philippines Visayas.

It took them the whole of 2003 to write the book which they had sent to more than a thousand government agencies, nongovernment organizations, communities, schools and research institutes here and abroad.

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:D :D :D