OneReef Worldwide Stewardship

We create durable public-private partnerships so that communities can sustain their conservation goals and create true environmental legacies. With Community Partnership Agreements that help protect over 500,000 acres of ocean and coral reef, we are working toward the goal of covering 2.7million acres, or 25% of Micronesia's reefs and expanding our scalable community-based model across the Asia-Pacific.

We have developed a vibrant team and strong partnerships that include economists, biologists, conservationists, Micronesians leaders, global funders, and technology experts. This dynamic network can respond to the needs of local communities and creatively solve and implement programs that work for local communities and for the environment.

1. WE PICK THE RIGHT PLACES

OneReef targets reefs that adapt to shifting conditions, managed by locals who benefit. The Micronesia Region is home to over 1400 species of fish and 400 species of coral, representing a key region of global biodiversity. Local and traditional communities, who are legal reef owners and stewards, want to ensure their reefs continue to thrive in the face of overfishing and climate change, two primary threats in the region. However, they often lack the scientific and technical resources that enable long-term conservation in quickly changing ocean conditions — which is where OneReef can make huge impact as a global partner.

2. WE DELIVER TOOLS & SERVICES

Through enforcement training, science, and novel technology, OneReef builds conservation success. We work on-the-ground with communities, community leaders, and governments, leveraging strong relationships to create change and deliver services. OneReef negotiates simple agreements with community leaders: agreements include no-fishing rules and catch limits for important fish species, and we create a long-term shared vision and finance plan for 20 years or more so communities can build impact into the future.

3. WE FOCUS ON IMPACT

OneReef measures reef health and local benefits to maximize impact. With support from us, communities and local partners protect over 500,000 acres of reef. We finance stewardship functions, provide immediate benefits to key stakeholders, and foster a measurable ecological response that produces community-wide benefits. When we invest, communities receive jobs, new skills, and healthy reefs.

1. WE MEASURE IMPACT

By learning about the fish and corals at our sites, we can determine the reef's health and create science-based plans. Through our collaboration with the Smith and Sandin Labs at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, we obtain baseline biological data, using novel 3-D photogrammetry technology. With the help of Smith and Sandin Labs, we have trained our island community partners to use this technology which helps them adjust management plans to see the most benefits to their ocean.

2. TECHNOLOGY

Through technology, we can make conservation safer and more cost effective. Systems like desalination units, satellite phones, GPS, cameras, ranger stations and marine radars can help communities work in and protect their reefs. We constantly search for the best and most affordable solutions, working closely with partners to inform the design of new tools.

3. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Marine Protected Areas require effective local management to protect fish populations. We sponsor trainings, such as bringing US-certified enforcement officers to train local staff in Micronesia, to create well-trained and successful teams that can protect coral reefs.

4. FINANCING

We align multiple funding sources under a long-term finance plan for each program. By working closely with communities, philanthropists, foundations, and public funding streams, we can ensure reef protection benefits long into the future.

We have strengthened and grown the conservation programs with all our partner communities to the point where poaching has declined significantly. This is a huge indication of success, and we are also in process of assessing the biological impacts of fully protected marine areas with our science partners in the US and Micronesia.

We are building capacity in our partner communities through mentoring and training rangers and Community Conservation Officers. And by providing them with boats and surveillance equipment.

We are growing the long-term financing capability of these programs, leveraging public sources and building local capacity to attract funding from a variety of sources, in ways that allow communities to support their own projects with less and less help from us. Conservation benefits will continue to grow over time, and we are excited to build greater streams of local benefits that are both enjoyed by communities and explicitly tied to long-term protection and management.