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Palau Mission Team

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Machine‑learning algorithms for identifying climate‑resilient corals in the Republic of Palau

September 30, 2025

Published in Discover Oceans Abstract To restore degraded coral reef habitats, it is critical to ensure that the scleractinian broodstock utilized can withstand future heatwaves. However, reef coral resilience is normally assessed only after catastrophic stress events. By tapping into …

Celebrating Traditional Marine Management Practices Across the Pacific Islands

October 14, 2024

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we recognize the invaluable contributions that Indigenous communities have made to marine conservation worldwide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Pacific Islands, where for millennia, communities have practiced sustainable marine management through traditional systems such as kapu in Polynesia, tabu in Fiji, bul in Micronesia, and ra’ui in the Cook Islands. These ancient practices reflect a deep understanding of the environment and a commitment to protecting marine resources for future generations.

Lau Seascape Initiative

July 6, 2023

The Lau Seascape Initiative (LSI) is a program that focuses on the conservation and protection of marine ecosystem resources in the Lau region of Fiji. With multiple stresses such as climate change and overharvesting of coastal fisheries, the Indigenous peoples of Lau, in conjunction with the NGO Conservation International, have joined together to create a roadmap for protecting Lau’s biodiversity and ecosystems while in tandem with promoting sustainable development solutions for the local stakeholders.

One of the goals of this program was to bring together scientists, traditional leaders, government officials, and the people of Lau for the LSI Planning Retreat. The retreat took place in early March of this year in Suva, Fiji’s capital city. I was asked by Conservation International to speak to the LSI group about past work conducted in Lau by The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) as well our future work with our in-country conservation partner the Pacific Blue Foundation. The title of my presentation Reefs of Lau Province: Past, Present, and Future, explains local, regional, and global context for status of the Lau reefs and what new technologies and methods KSLOF is helping refine for sustainable coral reef management…

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