Conservation groups have launched a new initiative to safeguard coral reefs in Yap, a state in the Federated States of Micronesia, through both scientific innovation and traditional stewardship.
The Yap Resilience Hub, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF), is a three-year project that seeks to support local conservation efforts through 2028.
“Coral reefs are central to life in Yap and across island communities because they provide food, support livelihoods, and sustain cultural practices,” Berna Gorong, capacity building manager at TNC Micronesia & Polynesia, told Mongabay by email.
The reefs are traditional fishing grounds managed under community and clan tenure and “closely tied to identity, stewardship, and daily life,” Gorong said.
The Yap Resilience Hub plans to rely on a steering committee of government, traditional leaders and community representatives to help identify candidate reef areas for protection. The reefs will be selected based on five criteria, Gorong said, including their ecological condition and potential for recovery, connectivity to other reef systems, and community and governance readiness.
Once priority reefs are identified, she said the project will support local action plans, ensuring that community priorities and local leadership remain at the forefront of the conservation strategy. “Capacity building and capacity-needs assessments will be central so local partners can sustain the work beyond the project period,” Gorong said.
“By pairing community priorities with science, planning, and capacity building, [the project] aims to strengthen reef resilience and support the long-term well-being of Yap’s people and coastal communities,” she added.
While many Micronesian reefs remain relatively healthy compared to other global regions, they face increasing pressure from rising seas and climate change.
Dawnette Olsudong, a researcher at the Palau International Coral Reef Center who has conducted assessments on coral restoration in Yap and isn’t involved in the project, said proactive measures are important.
“I am hopeful that the launch of this project will strengthen our understanding of reef conditions and improve our ability to make informed conservation and restoration decisions,” Olsudong told Mongabay. She noted her research has helped identify sites that communities perceived as degraded and in need of restoration.
The Yap Resilience Hub project is part of the Resilient Reefs Pasifika initiative, funded by the GBRF.
Banner image: A pair of nudibranchs on coral in Manta Ray Bay, Yap in Micronesia. Image by Betty Wills via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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