The island\u2019s first Environmental Law and Science Conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel from Nov.13 to 17. \u00a0The event was hosted by the Pacific Judicial Council. University of Hawaii and the University of Guam partnered to address environmental issues in the Pacific region and educate judicial officers on the science behind them. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cIt’s important that we provide our judicial officers the tools to understand the science related to this body of law,\u201d said associate justice F. Philip Carbullido, chairman of the Pacific Judicial Education Committee. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Scientists and members of the law community traveled across Micronesia to attend the weeklong conference. <\/span><\/p>\n

Participants engaged in panel discussions and received presentations on topics such as using science in the courtroom, climate change effects in the Pacific, challenges with island-sustainability, the health of our coral reefs, new environmental technology such as eDNA, policy and legal response, environmental litigation, enforcement, and marine protected areas.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The conference unified scientists and judicial members and gave them the opportunity to share the issues, concerns, and solutions that they face within their own island districts.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cWhat was very eye opening for me in part from this conference was the challenges of my colleagues,\u201d Carbullido said. \u201cWe need to develop more resources and learn to appreciate how these various parts of our environment interrelate so that we can be better informed.\u201d
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\n<\/span>The Pacific Judicial Council consists of members from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. Together they collaborate to improve the administration of the courts and justice in the Pacific region. \u00a0Delegates from these islands attended the conference to provide education to their judicial officers.<\/span>
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\u201cThe question we have in the judiciary is how can we use the tools of the legal profession to integrate with the science so we can make better decisions,\u201d Carbullido said. <\/span><\/p>\n

The primary goal of this conference is to educate the judges on the science related to environmental issues and integrate this knowledge to place better laws. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to Carbullido, more and more environmental issues are coming to the forefront due to the effects of climate change, air pollution, water pollution and land regulation.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWe want to preserve the pristine beauty of our environment so that our children and our grandchildren can continue to experience the beauty of Guam and Micronesian islands\u201d said Carbullido. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>President of the Pacific Judicial Council, District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydignco-Gatewood shared her interest to learn more about environmental issues. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cEducating ignorant judges like myself is very important. Especially in the context of understanding future cases\u201d said Tydingco-Gatewood. <\/span>
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The event\u2019s keynote speaker was Noah Idechong, senior fisheries advisor of Palau. \u00a0Idechong shared his experiences in marine conservation. When Palau had encountered a fisheries problem in the 1980\u2019s, Idechong outreached to 95% of the population of Palau starting from the chiefs and fishermen through the PRIDE Campaign. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s about ownership,\u201d Idechong said. \u201cTaking ownership of your land and your shores because no one else will do it for you.\u201d.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>To end the conference, attendees toured the Fouha bay on the Hum\u00e5tak Watershed Adventure. There they had the opportunity to make seed sling stones and released them during the hike down. During the trek, they saw badlands firsthand and learned about negative effects of sedimentation on coral reefs in the bay. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The island\u2019s first Environmental Law and Science Conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel from Nov.13 to 17. \u00a0The event was hosted by the Pacific Judicial Council. University of Hawaii and the University of Guam partnered to address environmental issues in the Pacific region and educate judicial officers on the science behind them. \u201cIt’s … <\/p>\n

Read more “Environmental law conference unites scientists and judicial officers”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[346],"yoast_head":"\n