Design tailored trainings to a specific purpose

The relationship between climate change and health is very complex, as many different fields come together at this intersection. The training experience showed that there is a need to tailor the training to the participants. This should be based on the previous knowledge of the participants, their professional position and the general level of implementation of climate and health activities in their respective countries.
Based on the experience utilizing the training manual in practice, several customized formats are conceivable:

  • Beginner and advanced level training formats;
  • Thematic training: introduction to the scientific link between health and climate change;
  • Policy training: in-depth exercises to develop core policy documents such as a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and a national public health adaptation plan;
  • Climate governance training: analysis of the Ministry of Health's respective positions on climate – identifying how to integrate climate issues into health policy, how to develop climate policy documents, learning about possible coordination mechanisms, highlighting the international mechanisms on climate change, how to mainstream climate issues in the Ministry of Health

The success of tailoring the training depends on the information available at the preparation level and the skills and flexibility of the trainer. Prior questionnaires for participants can help determine their interest and prior experience. The trainer should have knowledge of climate change, health, hydrometeorology, and the environment, as well as being proficient in the core documents of the fields. Since this is a rare profile, determining the goal of the training early on also makes it easier to find a suitable trainer.

  • Potential instructors must be very experienced as the manual covers several different topics;
  • Using the 16 modules of this training in 5 days is too much content and leaves little time to apply more diverse training methods;
  • Objectives should be clearly stated from the very beginning of the process;
  • The preparation, coordination and implementation of the training requires a dedicated support team in the hosting country with enough time, personnel and budget resources.
3D-printing

Archireef leverages the latest technologies in 3D printing to create artificial habitats that are truly ocean-friendly. With the algorithm-based adaptiveness and 3D printer’s versatility, our reef tiles have been proven 4 times more effective in keeping the corals alive than conventional methods, securing 95% of coral survivorship.

Most, if not all, players in the coral restoration industry involve the use of harmful materials such as concrete blocks and metal rebars. We use clay, which is a truly ocean-friendly material that is non-toxic to the ocean. We are also able to tweak the design of our biomimicry pattern based on the growth form of local species, allowing a 4X higher effectiveness in restoration success.

With full control over our R&D (via a hub in Hong Kong) and our production (via a facility in Abu Dhabi), we have established a strong basis for both new product development and full scale commercialisation. With this in mind, our 2025 goal is to expand our footprint to 10 large restoration sites across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. 

Environmental DNA

Internationally, coral restoration and biodiversity are still lacking behind in terms of certification and uniform verification / measurement standards. To address this issue, we adopt eDNA - environmental DNA - to measure biodiversity, though in the long run, international standards would definitely increase our recognition and perceived reliability.

Our Chief Scientist and Co-founder Dr David Baker is also an Associate Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong, as well as a multi-disciplinary marine ecologist with a focus on coral reef species. He leads our scientific team to develop a robust methodolgy to measure and monitor the impacts of our restoration work using science-backed methodologies such as eDNA.

eDNA approaches require much less effort in terms of human resources and time. Water and sediment samples can be procured easily, and stored indefinitely. Data analysis does not require any special taxonomic expertise. It is therefore presumed that eDNA biodiversity monitoring will become the norm in the future, once good regional databases for biodiversity are established.

Vriko Yu
West Asia, Middle East
Southeast Asia
Hayley
Wong
Environmental DNA
3D-printing
Vriko Yu
West Asia, Middle East
Southeast Asia
Hayley
Wong
Environmental DNA
3D-printing
Vriko Yu
West Asia, Middle East
Southeast Asia
Hayley
Wong
Environmental DNA
3D-printing
Sunbox side view
Huge storage capacity for the Sunbox
Giant LED screen to communicate and boost profitability
autonomous operation thanks to solar panels
Sunbox side view
Huge storage capacity for the Sunbox
Giant LED screen to communicate and boost profitability
autonomous operation thanks to solar panels
autonomous operation thanks to solar panels

The Sunbox has 12 solar panels that allow autonomous operation. In addition, solar panels protect users from rain and sun.

Thanks to the solar panels, it is not compulsory to connect the Sunbox to electricity. However, for 24-hour operation, it is necessary to connect it to electricity.

For better user comfort, we have planned to place the RVMs on each side of the Sunbox. This allows you to create 2 separate queues

UNEP/Aidan Dockery
Cross-country knowledge/experience exchanging
Cross-country technology transfer & capacity-building