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Seagrasses are submerged flowering plants found in shallow marine waters. It is one of the most ecologically important marine ecosystems in Southeast Asia. They provide food, habitat, and essential nursery areas to commercial and recreational fishery species and to countless invertebrates living in seagrass communities. They help in coastal protection by stabilizing the sand or mud they grow on and preventing the seabed from being washed away in currents. In addition, seagrass can absorb huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. It is estimated that seagrass meadows hold around 15% of the carbon stored in the ocean. 

Seagrass is declining in terms of its distribution due to escalating human activities and climate change. To conserve it, many SEA countries have been endeavoring to map their distribution in order to understand their spatiotemporal change and identify the root cause to inform conservation decisions and strategies. The traditional methods of seagrass mapping are human and time-consuming. The remote sensing and satellite image analysis could be an alternative method for seagrass mapping. Google Earth Engine combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities.  and makes it available for scientists, researchers, and developers to detect changes, map trends, and quantify differences on the Earth's surface.  

Within the framework of its implemented Japanese Funds-in-Trust project on Accelerating the Transfer of Marine Technology for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources, IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) has been promoting and coordinating the development of advanced remote sensing techniques to assist member countries in the region mapping the seagrass for conservation and management. 

Under the overall authority of the Director (a.i.) of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok (hereinafter called UNESCO Bangkok), and the direct supervision of the Head of the IOC Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) who is responsible for the content of training manual. The Contractor shall undertake the following tasks: 

Provide designing service of the training manual by following the requirements.

Provide designing service for the publication: Training Manual on Seagrass Mapping Using the Google Earth Engine 

Strictly treat the training manual confidential and the rights of distribution will reside solely with UNESCO. 

The Contractor grants to UNESCO exclusive worldwide right to exploit, to publish, to reproduce, to diffuse, to communicate to the public, etc., in any form and on any support, including digital, all or part of the Work and to license these rights to third parties on the basis of the rights herein vested in UNESCO. 

^{*This document will be available for a limited period of time after the closing date.} 

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