From September 9-11, 2025, Cochrane served as a technical expert on marine benthic ecosystems mapping at a three-day Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Workshop focused on marine resource management of the Philippine Rise that brought together local and national Filipino stakeholders to strengthen understanding and coordination in the maritime domain. Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the workshop was led by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of International Affairs (Nicholas Bruscato), in partnership with Tanggol Kalikasan Inc. and also supported by technical experts from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Brian Hooker, Biology Section Supervisor), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant Demesillo, Special Agent – NOAA Fisheries).

 

Participants included municipal, provincial, and academic representatives from the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, and Camarines Norte alongside Philippine national government counterparts such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), and others. 

 

Cochrane gave presentations on a case study of a multiple stakeholder workshop for seafloor mapping, seafloor ecosystem mapping standards and methodology, and marine data acquisition and management. Presentations and discussions also explored topics such as stakeholder engagement, offshore energy development, and strategies to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Following the workshop, Cochrane travelled to the Province of Aurora on the east coast of the island of Luzon to give a seminar on marine ecosystems mapping methodology at the Aurora State College of Science and Technology.