Thanks to the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), a new “Palau centric” climate change video has just been released by Coral Reef Research Foundation (CRRF), Malakal. Part of a larger project supported by Canada Fund, the 12 minute long educational video, “Climate Change and Palau: Our Place in a Big World,” aims to provide information on climate change and its local and specific impacts on Palau, understandable to 11-13 year old children (https://youtu.be/TlME46RSFy4). While the video is viewable online, CRRF will also distribute copies to local TV stations and the Ministry of Education to use as a reference resource in teaching students about climate change.
The overall Canada Fund project, entitled “Understanding the Local Impacts of Climate Change in Palau” includes not only the new video, but also new web site information on climate change (https://coralreefpalau.org/projects/climate-change-in-palau/,), new temperature and sea level (depth) logging instruments in Jellyfish Lake and other locations, replacement sensors for CRRF’s Ngeanges Island weather station, and a pending a live connection to this rock island weather station. The permanent Ngeanges weather station station provides the only weather data specific to the Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake, sites known to have major impacts from strong El Niño and La Niña events. The hourly live weather data and subsequent analysis of weather and other patterns (sea level, ocean temperatures) will provide Palauans from multiple sectors with the needed knowledge important in livelihoods, including tourism, fisheries and agriculture. The goal of the project is to acquire a scientific knowledge base to understand how climate change is impacting their life and livelihoods here in Palau, and therefore also assist with their future planning.
Typically climate change patterns are broadly discussed only on global or Pacific-wide scales, rather than focusing on the specific conditions in Palau. For example, local El Niño patterns are misunderstood, usually discussed relative to what happens in the eastern and central Pacific, and this is clearly explained. Being in the far western Pacific, Palau has a remarkably different expression of these events in its physical environment. The Canada Fund project has also allowed for the continuation of on-going Jellyfish Lake environmental monitoring, which began in 1999, with a focus on documenting these changes in weather patterns, ocean temperature and sea level conditions. The Canada Fund support compliments other CRRF activities, such as “Back to Nature in Jellyfish Lake,” a field education program for all 6th and 8th graders in Palau, funded by the GEF Small Grants Programme and the New Zealand North Pacific Development Fund. Both programs achieve an overall synergy of education, information and understanding of the Rock Island environment for Palau’s community.
CRRF would like to thank the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) for their generous support and funding to produce the video. We also thank Richard Brooks of Lightning Strike Media Productions, Palau for footage and technical advice and Spis Gordon of Roll’em Productions for the voice recording session.
Online access to the video is available through the CRRF website, https://coralreefpalau.org/projects/climate-change-in-palau/, or at https://youtu.be/TlME46RSFy4, or https://www.facebook.com/CoralReefResearchFoundation.
Coral Reef Research Foundation studies all aspects of the marine environment in Palau and conducts outreach activities to raise awareness and instill pride in students of their natural marine resources and environment. For more information please contact CRRF at 488-5255, @CoralReefResearchFoundation or stop by our lab on Malakal, home of the jellyfish wall.
Video on Climate Change in Palau Premieres On Line
