According to the Micronesia Challenge Secretariat, MPA managers from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Hawaii and French Polynesia met to share experiences under the Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas Community (PIMPAC) project on community and government approaches to enforcement of marine managed areas.
30 August 2012: The August 2012 issue of the “Micronesia Challenge Newsletter,” published by the Micronesia Challenge Secretariat, features articles on: a marine protected areas (MPA) management meeting in Hawaii; the establishment of a coral reef monitoring programme in Guam; and the launch of a climate change canoe voyage.
According to the Micronesia Challenge Secretariat, MPA managers from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Hawaii and French Polynesia met in Honolulu, Hawaii, US, in early August 2012. Participants shared experiences under the Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas Community (PIMPAC) project on community and government approaches to enforcement of marine managed areas.
The newsletter also highlights the establishment of the Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program. The Program is training villages on Guam’s coral reefs and techniques for monitoring coral reef health. Training has addressed benthic cover and macroinvertebrates, including coral, algae, giant clams, sea cucumbers, starfish and sea urchins.
The newsletter also features the launch of the Climate Change Canoe Voyage, a traditional sailing voyage being undertaken by the Titan tribe of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The voyage aims to promote the connection of culture, conservation and climate change throughout the Pacific. [Publication: Micronesia Challenge Newsletter, August 2012]