With this grant, researchers will help resource managers, policy makers and community leaders develop and implement strategies to prevent or reverse coral reef degradation in Pohnpei, Yap, Palau, and Guam.
Project organizers are working with The Conservation Society of Pohnpei, Micronesia Conservation Trust, the College of Micronesia, and Yap Institute of Natural Science to develop this coral reef protection imitative.
“Since 2003, NOAA has provided the Conservation Society of Pohnpei with funding to support comprehensive biophysical monitoring of Pohnpei’s coral reef and fisheries,” explains CSP executive director Patterson Shed.
“[NOAA’s] assistance enables CSP to continue its annual grouper spawning and aggregation monitoring at Kehpara Marine Protected Area, which provides invaluable insight into the extent of our region’s overfishing problem.”
Shed also noted that “NOAA’s assistance in the FSM has been tremendous, and this coral reef protection initiative is yet another example of NOAA’s commitment to support coral reef biodiversity conservation and best management strategies.”
