𝗣𝗮𝗴-𝗔𝘀𝗮 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 (𝗞𝗜𝗚) – The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) has kicked off a Coastal Integrity Assessment on Pag-Asa Island as part of the Marine Resources Initiative Project! 
On December 3-5, 2024 the PCSD Staff, joined the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) 3-day mission to the Kalayaan Island Group to assess the coastal marine condition in Pag-Asa Island. The team was assisted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), providing logistics requirements for the actual survey.
On December 3, the PCSD technical team composed of the District Management Division-South and ECAN Monitoring and Evaluation Division commenced their activities by recalibrating the Horiba on-site multi-probe water quality checker awarded to the Municipal Local Government Unit of KIG donated by the Australian Government through the Marine Resources Initiative Project of the Geoscience Australia, the University of Sydney and the PCSD. Additional staff from the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office of Kalayaan were also trained on the use of the said device, strengthening the local capacity of our agency partners for water quality monitoring.
Day 2 focused on the actual survey of Sandy Cays 1 and 2, where the team utilized the Reefscan Transom. Reefscan Transom is an above-water high-resolution optical imaging system that captures the best quality data at record speed. ReefScan is a monitoring and assessment device that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) computing capabilities developed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Survey results will be stitched and analyzed to serve as a permanent record of the benthic condition in the area.
Before concluding their mission on December 5, the team conducted a water quality assessment of the six coastal monitoring stations across Pag-Asa, emphasizing the sheltered port area and residential zones.