The Palau Reef Seeding Hub, based at PICRC, will accelerate climate-resilient coral restoration in Palau

On Monday, August 31st, at the side event of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, “Protecting Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs: A Pacific Leadership Moment”, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) was proud to launch the Palau Reef Seeding Hub, a collaborative coral restoration initiative. Supported by international and local partners, the Hub brings together reef restoration science and innovation that has been tested and applied on the Great Barrier Reef with more than two decades of local coral reef science, monitoring and stewardship in Palau. 

Honorable Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Environment at Palau National Government, gave the opening remarks at the side event where he emphasized the importance of financing coral reef management. “For Pacific Islands, coral reefs are the foundation of our cultures, livelihoods, and economies,” he stated. “What will it take to ensure that we can protect coral reefs?” 

The Palau Reef Seeding Hub aims to accelerate climate-resilient coral restoration in Palau by testing and identifying climate-resilient corals, utilizing new coral seeding and restoration technologies, building local capacity for coral restoration, and empowering communities in reef stewardship. This Hub directly supports Palau’s national priorities by accelerating reef regeneration and scaling up existing climate-resilient coral production and restoration efforts; thereby safeguarding food security from nearshore fisheries, supporting the tourism economy, and enhancing long-term climate resilience for Palau and the wider Pacific.

“The Palau Hub is an exciting initiative that directly supports our priorities for coral reef management in Palau”, stated PICRC’s CEO, Roxanne Siual Blesam. “Our approach is grounded in science, local knowledge, long-term monitoring, collaboration and learning. We will establish climate-resilient coral nurseries and restore degraded reefs to strengthen their resilience to future ocean warming.  Over the next five years, we will train local practitioners, engage communities, and test what works best for coral restoration under Palau’s conditions. The capacity we build here will strengthen coral restoration in Palau and contribute to coral reef conservation efforts across Micronesia and the wider Pacific.”

This Hub is part of the broader Reef Seeding Initiative (RSI) led by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF). The RSI is a large-scale region-wide collaborative program aimed at advancing coral reef restoration to improve reef resilience across the Great Barrier Reef and the Pacific. The initiative seeks to scale up reef restoration actions and make reef restoration tools and technologies more accessible so they can be adapted and used by reef communities around the world. 

“No single organisation or country can secure the future of coral reefs alone,” shared Theresa Fyffe, Executive Director of Impact at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. “That’s why the Reef Seeding Initiative brings together the science and innovation being tested and applied on the Great Barrier Reef with the knowledge, leadership and expertise that already exists in reef communities across the Pacific. The launch of the Palau Reef Seeding Hub is an exciting next step, working together to build the local capability, tools and partnerships needed to help reefs withstand a changing climate. Palau has long been a global leader in ocean stewardship, and we’re incredibly proud to be working alongside PICRC and our partners to develop solutions that can benefit reefs across the Pacific and, ultimately, around the world.”

The Palau Hub, along with other initiatives, demonstrates a shared Australia-Palau commitment to climate-smart reef management, long-term ocean stewardship, and the resilience of Pacific communities.  

PICRC would like to thank all the global and local partners for making the Palau Reef Seeding Hub possible.

The global partners include GBRF, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, SECORE International, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the University of Queensland, Newcastle University, and Stanford University. The local partners include the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment, Palau Governors Association, Palau’s Office of Climate Change, the Palau Protected Areas Network, the Coral Reef Research Foundation, Palau Conservation Society, Palau Community College, Ebiil Society, Watson and Sons Aquaculture Palau, and PALARIS.

About the Reef Seeding Initiative

The Palau Reef Seeding Hub, which is the first hub launched in the Pacific, forms part of the global Reef Seeding Initiative, led by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation in partnership with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), SECORE International and local partners including the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC).

Building on decades of reef restoration research and innovation on the Great Barrier Reef, the Initiative is bringing together science, technology and local expertise to develop and scale practical reef restoration solutions. Through restoration hubs across the Pacific, these approaches are adapted to local reef systems and needs, building the capability, tools and partnerships needed to help coral reefs withstand a changing climate.