Marine biologist honored with NAST award for sea cucumber study

A marine biologist from the University of the Philippines on Wednesday received the National Academy of Science and Technology Environmental Science Award (NESA) for 2026.

Dr. Rachel June Ravago-Gotanco is a professor at UP Diliman's Marine Science Institute, with her studies focusing on molecular biology, biotechnology, and marine science.

She landed the award for her recent study on the genetic structure of sea cucumbers in the Philippines, exploring its implications on the country’s aquaculture and fisheries.

“We chose to study sea cucumbers primarily first because of their commercial value. They're a high-value commodity, but they also play a very important role in the marine ecosystem," Ravago-Gotanco said. "What we did generate is key information, key scientific knowledge that can be directly used by managers, LGUs, and government agencies to support planning for management and conservation initiatives."

The main themes of her studies are exploring biological diversity, applying population genomics and seascape genomics approaches, and the strategic application of genomics for aquaculture.

“Biodiversity is always overlooked in terms of valuation. The Philippines is very rich in marine biodiversity. However, it's unappreciated or underappreciated. It's hard to put value on organisms, and it's harder to put value on the ecosystem benefits that they provide, but once people have an understanding and an appreciation of that, then we will learn to value them more and their importance for human well-being,” she said.

“We're happy that it gets featured through these awards,” she added.

During the awarding ceremony in Manila on Wednesday, Ravago-Gotanco received a plaque of recognition, along with a P150,000 cash prize.

“It's an honor to be recognized, especially to be recognized for our work… [We are] a whole team of colleagues with different expertise in different fields of science. So, it's an honor to be recognized,” she said.

The NESA recognizes outstanding scientific and technological research work that contributes to environmental protection and conservation.

Ravago-Gotanco will also receive P2 million from the DOST Secretary's Grant for Environment upon formal approval of her research proposal.

“The Environmental Science Award was really conceptualized and developed in order to recognize people who've done work on environmental management, especially in this time and age where climate change, global warming, and environmental degradation have become very big issues. So, this award is supposed to recognize people who are able to meet this challenge so that they can actually serve as a model, as an inspiration to other researchers,” NAST president Dr. Jaime Montoya said. —VBL, GMA News