One of eight contributions by university’s Department of Biology wins ‘outstanding poster‘ award at MEDCOAST 2017 Congress

Academic staff and students of the Department of Biology recently presented their research work at MEDCOAST 2017, the thirteenth ‘ International MEDCOAST Congress on Coastal and Marine Sciences, Engineering, Management and Conservation’, held at Mellieħa, Malta, between 31st October - 4th November. This biennial congress provides a platform for discussing scientific knowledge, efforts and capabilities required for improved marine and coastal zone management amongst participants, who this year came from 40 different countries.

Presentations delivered by the Department of Biology covered a variety of topics, including the influence of artificial reefs on animals living in adjacent sandy bottoms, floating litter in coastal waters, levels of microplastics on sandy beaches, and erosion caused by organisms found on rocky shores. Posters about sandbanks in the Maltese Islands, the impacts of tuna aquaculture on the seabed, and surface features in coastal rock produced by living organisms on Maltese rocky shores were also presented.

A poster entitled ‘Stakeholder Involvement in Marine Spatial Planning‘ by Lydia Koehler, a recent graduate in Ocean Governance (Faculty of Laws), and her dissertation supervisors Dr Leyla Knittweis and Prof. Joseph A. Borg of the Department of Biolo- gy was chosen as an ‘outstanding poster presentation’ from amongst the 116 posters presented by congress participants.