Community Partners
OneReef has successfully partnered with island communities across the Pacific, including Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Our goal is to expand this proven model to 100 communities by 2030 in other parts of Asia-Pacific so that it can be rapidly adopted and scaled globally.
Micronesia is ideal for our work because:
- The reefs are some of the biggest and most biologically diverse on earth, with over 1400 fish and 400 coral species.
- Reefs are legally owned or controlled by the communities that steward them. Therefore, the communities are directly motivated to protect and use them sustainably.
- The culture emphasizes stewardship, encouraging community members to devote their time and efforts to protecting and managing their reefs.
- Large-scale pollution and industrial-scale developments, which often pose a threat to conservation efforts, are relatively limited.
- There is a significant political interest in safeguarding reefs due to their cultural heritage and direct economic benefits, including tourism and coastal protection.
