A workshop titled ‘Malta 2014: An international workshop on marine biodiversity’ was successfully held in Malta recently. The workshop, which was co-organised by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the international NGO ECOOCEAN, and the Department of Biology at the University if Malta, is a follow-up of previous workshops, the latest of which was held in Gozo in 2012.During this year’s workshop, 15 young international researchers in marine science attended lectures and demonstrations pertaining to Mediterranean marine ecosystems. The demonstrations included methods and techniques for studying: marine caves, the water column and associated plankton, and seagrass and algal habitats.

The lectures covered various topics including phytoplankton and primary productivity, marine habitats around the Maltese Islands, Mediterranean biogeography, cave and deep sea life, invasive species and effects of global change on marine biodiversity.

Participants also had the opportunity to use the facilities (live-aboard, sampling and analysis) available on board ECOOCEAN’s research vessel ‘Mediterranean Explorer’, which was brought over to Malta specifically for the workshop.

The last two days of the workshop were held at the Department of Biology, University of Malta, where the participants undertook laboratory examination and analyses of samples collected during previous days, carried out data analysis, and finally reported on their findings during seminars held on the last day.

Permalink: Successful BioDivMex international workshop held in Malta