Programme Highlights

Coral reefs, often characterised as underwater tropical rainforest, are one of the most important marine habitats with high biodiversity and productivity. Yet, they are also one of the most sensitive ecosystems to global warming and local human impacts. Warmer water temperatures had triggered massive coral bleaching events in the tropical reefs, which killed coral on an unprecedented scale. Home to eighty-four species of hard corals, Hong Kong’s coral diversity is considered quite rich by international standards. Experimental evidences suggest that early life history stages of corals from Hong Kong, a marginal coral environment, are tolerant to environmental extremes. What are the implications of these findings in terms of global warming? During the seminar, Dr Chui will share with you the potential roles of Hong Kong corals in future under projected climate changes, and discuss the importance of marine conservation in marginal coral communities.

Speaker

Dr Apple P.Y. Chui is a lecturer in the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She obtained her B.Sc. degree in Biology from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Mphil and PhD degrees in Environmental Science and Biology from CUHK. She is an experienced PADI Rescue diver who has logged more than 800 dives in Hong Kong and other parts of the world. Since 2008, Dr Chui has been studying corals in Hong Kong. Her research interests include reproductive and larval ecology of corals, coral recruitment dynamics, and restoration of corals using coral sexual reproduction.

Registration & Enquiries

The seminar will be conducted in CANTONESE. The seminar is free of charge and the number of participants is limited to 50. The applications will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis with priority given to Registered Young Members. For registration, please register online at https://goo.gl/forms/0eLISXv31qBYhH5y2. Successful applicants will be noticed individually. For enquiries, please contact Mr. Logan CHAN at email: hkie.opg@gmail.com.