Our Story
The Pacific Islands Regional group is the culmination of two preceding interactions of restoration practitioners, researchers, and management agencies working on coral restoration; a workshop hosted by the University of Guam and an in-person workshop at Reef Futures 2022 led by NOAA. Outcomes of both called for greater regional connectivity and coordination.
The group is working to support the rapidly growing restoration community in the Pacific Islands and encourage multi-agency collaboration and cooperation within jurisdictions so that knowledge, experience, and resources can be shared.
Geographical Area of Focus: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), Guam, Hawaii, Independent Samoa, Palau, Fiji
Restoration in the Region
Coral restoration efforts, in general, have been active in the region for a number of years, increasingly becoming more and more prevalent as pressures continue to act on local coral reefs. Major threats consist of coral bleaching events (related to climate change), overfishing, and declining water quality. Community-led restoration efforts and workshops are common across the region, with island communities learning from one another as restoration programs develop. U.S. Pacific Island jurisdictions collaborate on restoration work through the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force along with affiliate members of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Our Priorities
The areas of focus are collecting and highlighting research and restoration efforts from the Pacific Islands. Accomplishments, lessons learned, and strategies for regional interventions (i.e. bleaching stress) are commonly discussed within the group.
To provide a platform for all members to share best practices, technical support, information, and discussion, such that capacity for meaningful and successful coral restoration in the region is expanded
• To facilitate proactive and responsive capacity among members to island, jurisdictional, and/or regional events impacting coral reefs
• To improve capacity to garner funding for restoration activities among members
What we are working on
Members of the Pacific Islands Regional Group gather at Reef Futures 2024.
Dr. Laurie Raymundo
Chair
University of Guam Marine Laboratory
Shannon Ruseborn
Co-Chair
NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation/Restoration Center
Meet the Pacific Islands Regional Group Leadership Team
Made up of experts from around the world. The Pacific Islands Regional Group is always looking to recruit new members!