Bilung, along with over 70 Mechesil Belau members visited some of Koror State’s most unique and special sites in the Rock Islands last Thursday, March 22.  The field trip was co-hosted by Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) and Koror State Government to showcase a couple of unique Rock Island areas, including Ngederrak Conservation Area, Ngeremdiu, Milky Way and the famous Ngermid Bay, an area with strong resilient corals that survive in waters with low pH and high temperature.

“Ngermid Bay is an anomaly in our current understanding of coral reefs’ survivability in these harsh conditions, because not only are the corals growing there, they are actually thriving in these conditions.  This is contrary to what has been shown in experiments and field studies from other places,” explained Dr. Yimnang Golbuu, CEO of PICRC. read more

On Thursday morning, March 8, 2018, Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) CEO, Dr. Yimnang Golbuu, along with Environmental Quality Protection Board (EQPB) Water Quality Lab Supervisor, Kimi Ngirchechol, and Ms. Persis Omelau, started off PICRC’s water conservation awareness campaign by giving a short talk show on Palau Wave Radio with Mr. Salvador Tellames.

Starting off, Dr. Golbuu emphasized the importance of freshwater to our daily lives and the need for everyday conservation in the face of climate change and the threat of more severe droughts in the near future. Dr. Golbuu expressed, “water is not only important to us, for our daily survival, but it is also very important for the environment, starting from the tops of the hills down to the ocean.” read more

While we know that Palau is connected to its neighboring countries by the ocean, we do not know the extent of this connectivity and whether fish and corals from nearby countries contributes to the populations here in Palau.  To answer these questions of how fish and coral larvae move around in the ocean, Palau International Coral Reef Center enlisted the assistance of Professor Eric Wolanski, an oceanographer from James Cook University, to work with its researchers to examine the connectivity of Palau with its neighbors. read more

Fisheries and food security is one of the top issue facing Palau.  Climate change and other stressors are making the problem worse, therefore urgent action and attention are needed.  Climate change is expected to dramatically redistribute the world’s fisheries in the near future. Experts predict that by 2050, climate change alone will reduce Palau’s fisheries catch potential by 50%.  This substantial loss of catch will provide major implications for local food security in Palau.

The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) and Stanford University’s Center for Ocean Solutions are collaborating to host a workshop from March 15-17 called:  “Managing Palau’s Fisheries and Ensuring Food Security in the face of multiple stressors: research and action needs. read more