The Palau Coral Reef Island Ecosystem (P-CoRIE) Project, a collaborative effort between Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), Palau Community College (PCC), and University of Ryukyus, has come to an end.
The project, funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), as part of the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS), involved five Principal Investigators (PIs), four post-docs and PICRC researchers.
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Dr. Seiji Nakaya was the project coordinator and worked to ensure the project was successful. With the departure of Dr. Nakaya at the end of this month, the P-CoRIE project will officially come to an end.
Over the last five years, 2013 – 2018, researchers from University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, the science department at PCC and researchers from PICRC have worked together on the P-CoRIE project that looks at various areas of the marine environment of Palau.
The main objective of the project was to identify and address major marine environment issues in Palau and provide science-based recommendations to stakeholders, and policymakers in order to enhance the sustainable management of the coral reef and island ecosystems in Palau.
During this time, many studies were undertaken. The studies focused on climate change related issues, such as impacts of sea-level rise and ocean acidification; tourism impacts on the economy and environment; Palau’s marine biodiversity; and building capacity among conservation officers and students. One of the major findings from this project was the discovery of a new species of zoantharian, which was named Antipathozoanthus remengesaui, in honor of President Remengesau and his contributions towards conservation efforts in Palau and the region. This discovery is important, as it signifies the importance of conservation and preservation, so as not to lose the precious biodiversity that exists in Palau.
One of the greatest aspects of this project was the immense amount of training opportunities offered to Palauans. Conservation officers have been trained on coral reef monitoring protocols; PCC students have been trained to work in the lab, processing samples, data entry, and analysis; and two PICRC researchers, Mr. Victor Nestor and Ms. Evelyn Otto, received scholarships through the P-CoRIE project to study in Okinawa, which they have completed and earned Master’s degrees. Additionally, Palau’s first DNA lab was established at PCC as a result of this collaboration, and will greatly benefit the PCC students and other researchers conducting research involving specimen DNA.
“We are extremely grateful to the government of Japan and JICA for supporting us on this project for the last five years”, stated Dr. Yimnang Golbuu, PICRC CEO. “We also thank our two partners, PCC and the University of the Ryukyus. We were successful because of our partnership and collaboration. While this project has come to a close, we are committed to continue working together to address many of the research needs we are facing in Palau. Finally, we thank Dr. Nakaya for being patient throughout this process and for meeting the demands of the project to ensure that each component ran smoothly.”
With the project at its completion, multiple reports have been written and presented to community members and key stakeholders/policymakers. These reports are now available to the public at the PICRC Library, or online on the PICRC website, www.picrc.org. [/restrict]