Our Work

Our work is guided by the Guam Coral Reef Resiliency Strategy, which was developed in 2018 with input from our local and national partnering organizations.

Calm waters with a dock and a palm tree hanging over the water

The strategy focuses on 5 main goals:

1. Effective fisheries management

2. Decreased land-based sources of pollution

3. Increased reef response and restoration

4. Sustainable recreational use and tourism

5. Human community resilience and climate change adaptation

The Guam Coral Reef Initiative team seeks to use many different approaches to address threats to Guam’s coral reefs. We regularly collaborate with other partners around the island on programs, projects, and plans, so read on to learn more!

Programs

Eyes of the Reef Marianas

A large group of people sitting in plastic chairs watching a presenter deliver a training

A training program to equip our community members with the skills and knowledge to identify and report coral reef threats

Watershed Restoration

A man in a green shirt helps a boy plant a tree sapling

Join us outdoors in working with DOAG forestry to plant trees that will restore upland areas and reduce impacts to coral reefs downstream

Firebreak Maintenance

Bright green grassy hillside overlooking the blue ocean with a few people weed-whacking the grass

Photo by Guam DoAg Forestry

Sign up to join our community firebreak maintenance team

Guardians of the Reef

A large group of high schoolers wearing red and yellow paper hats smiling at the camera and holding coral-related signs

Empowering the next generation to care for Guam’s coral reefs

Guam Coral Reef Response Team

A woman walking into the ocean carrying a floatation device next to a vessel that has run aground

Preparing local reef managers to respond to immediate threats and deliver coral reef first aid

Guam Reef Restoration and Intervention Partnership (GRRIP)

Four scuba divers underwater holding trays of small coral fragments

Photo by Ashley Castro

Sharing local knowledge and resources to better serve Guam’s coral reefs

Projects

At GCRI, we are always working on various projects and producing new resources to help educate the community on the importance of Guam’s coral reefs. Explore some of our current and completed projects below.

Plans

  • Guam Coral Bleaching Response Plan cover page

    Guam Coral Bleaching Response Plan

    This plan was developed in 2017 by GCRI in partnership with the UOG Marine Laboratory and several other agencies to maximize the effectiveness of the Guam Coral Reef Response Team and create a plan for responding to bleaching events.

  • Guam Crown-of-Thorns Outbreak Response Plan cover page

    Guam Crown-of-Thorns Outbreak Response Plan

    This plan was developed in 2017 by GCRI in collaboration with local and federal partners to appropriately address outbreaks of a local nuisance species, the Crown-of-Thorns Sea Star (COTS).

  • Guam Coral Reef Resilience Strategy cover page

    Guam Coral Reef Resilience Strategy

    This strategy was developed in 2018 by GCRI in collaboration with other partners to enhance the resilience of Guam’s coral reef ecosystems and human communities to the impacts of climate change by 2025. This plan was updated in 2019.

  • Infographic with a navy blue background and light green text listing steps in the restoration planning process

    (In-Progress) Guam Coral Reef Restoration Action Plan

    GCRI is in the process of writing a long-term plan for restoring local reefs. This action plan focuses on 3 goals: restoring reef community structure and function, restoring reef fish habitat to support fisheries, and recovering rare and ecologically-important coral species.

Check out what we’ve been up to lately!

  • Ritidian Field Trip Outreach

    GCRI staff did a nature journaling demo for elementary school students on a field trip at the Ritidian Wildlife Refuge.

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Past Programs and Projects

  • A group of adults in front of a projector screen holding certificates of completion inside a hotel

    Hotels FOR Guam

    Hotels FOR Guam was a partnership between BSP, NOAA, FOR Guam, and GHRA piloting seven hotels in Tumon Bay to reduce the impacts of tourism and recreational use on Guam’s coral reefs. The program cultivated environmental champions within the tourism industry who educated hotel staff on coral reef ecology, impact reporting, and safe and sustainable tourism. The program raised awareness and stewardship of coral reefs to Guam’s visitors by integrating coral reef outreach across various departments and marketing materials. This program was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Two staff member women smiling with a young boy holding a blue bag

    Guam Year of the Reef 2018

    The third Guam Year of the Reef was Proclaimed by Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio by Resolution No 337-34 on February 2, 2018, to recognize the economic, biological, social, and cultural value of Guam’s coral reefs.

    Guam Year of the Reef (GYOR) is a localized effort of the International Year of the Reef, which only occurs every ten years. Throughout 2018, GCRI highlighted Guam’s coral reef resources through social media, community events, newsletters, and new partnerships. Through the effort, GCRI developed new banners and outreach materials, and hosted a GYOR exhibit at the Guam Museum. GYOR2018 was a huge success with over 30 community events, a network of 22 partners, over 1,400 coral pledges by community members and visitors, and 300 Facebook followers.

  • Snorkelers in the ocean holding up surveying equipment

    Community Coral Monitoring with FOR Guam

    Friends of Reefs (FOR) Guam, formerly the Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program, was a community program that supported stewardship of our island’s marine environment by Guam residents. Launched in 2012, FOR Guam started as a citizen science program to train residents to help monitor different reef flat areas in Guam. FOR Guam is currently being revamped and turned into a new program with a fisheries emphasis under the Department of Agriculture Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR).

    Photo by the Guam Community Coral Monitoring Program

“We need to respect the oceans and take care of them as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.”

— Sylvia Earle

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