2nd NIES International Forum on

Sustainable Future in Asia

Author: Paul Macklin, PhD Researcher in Bali.

Recently I represented NMSC and SCU at the 2nd NIES International Forum on Sustainable Future in Asia at Udayana University in Bali discussing part of my PhD research on carbon dioxide fluxes in natural and artificial tropical lakes and the ramifications of predicted increases in reservoir construction in tropical regions. Other topics included carbon monitoring, waste management and recycling, biodiversity and environmental risk and health in Southeast Asia. There was a strong focus on exploring ways to link science and policy through discussions and networking while promoting investment at local, national and regional levels.

**"Photo courtesy of Seiji Narita, official photographer of NIES."**

It was also reassuring to see the level of scientific and financial commitment directed towards environmental remediation and monitoring and I was particularly impressed with recent advances in environmental satellite technology by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) particularly with the planned launch of GOSAT 2 (http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/gosat2/). I would like to see future collaborations with JAXA involving comparative in situ carbon dioxide and methane studies comparing our recent methodologies with the high-performance on-board observation sensors of GOSAT 2.

Also I had the chance to explore ways to make my current research here in Bali both easier and more effective while discussing the limitations and alternatives to reservoir construction with stakeholders and other potential collaborators. I made many friends, and developed professional relationships while enjoying some great food!

**Dr I Gusti Ngurah Suryaputra, my collaborator from Ganesha University, Singaraja, and myself (photo: Agung Sumastra).**

*This forum was organized by National Institute of Environmental Studies in collaboration with The University of Tokyo Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science, Udayana University and Bogor Agricultural University in Indonesia, and Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. My attendance was made possible with conference funding from the Southern Cross University Graduate School. A special thanks to Helen Wolton and Gina Smith Lawson from the Graduate School in Lismore and also to my supervisors Prof Isaac Santos and Dr Damien Maher for their constant support. For more details on the conference see http://ifsfa2017.co.id/