Chuuk legislative leaders go to Palau for study and exchange

As they prioritize the implementation of the Chuuk Protected Areas Network (PAN) program, Chuuk legislative leaders felt it would be beneficial to travel to Palau to learn from Palau’s successful protected area network program. The Palau PAN program has been in operation for over 15 years and has continued to grow and develop, with all 16 states now members of the PAN and a sustainable funding mechanism in place to support the implementation of PAN goals. Chuuk legislative leaders hope that their own PAN program will be as successful as ours in Palau. The Palau PAN is not without its challenges, but solutions have been creatively designed over the years to address these and challenges. Chuuk legislative leaders requested support from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to facilitate a learning exchange that would provide an opportunity to learn about the Palau PAN program and how Palau is continuing to improve its PAN, with the hope of applying what they find useful and appropriate to Chuuk’s structures and systems to further advance the operations of the Chuuk PAN.

The Chuuk delegation that visited Palau from May 14 to 21, 2024 included Senate President Arno H. Kony, Senate Vice President Wisney Nakayama, Speaker Lester D. Mersai (head of delegation), and House Resources and Development Chairman Arthur Irons. The Chuuk delegation also included Legislative Staff Douglas Marar (Chief of Staff of the Chuuk Legislature), Winetta Irons (Special Assistant to the Speaker), and Marine Resources Director Enjoy Rain. Others who were invited but were unable to participate in the learning exchange included representatives from the Federated States of Micronesia Department of Research and Development, Chuuk Environmental Protection Agency, Micronesian Conservation Trust, and Micronesia Challenge.
This Legislative Leaders Learning Exchange was the first of its kind that TNC has hosted, focusing on state or national leadership. The purpose of the Learning Exchange was to gain insight into Palau’s PAN framework to guide and accelerate the development of Chuuk’s own PAN. This included understanding the policy, regulatory, structural, and procedural elements of the Palau model. The Learning Exchange included a courtesy visit to OEK; informal discussions with members of the Senate and House of Representatives; meetings with the PAN Office and PAN Foundation; site visits to PAN sites where TNC is actively engaged, particularly the North Reef and West Coast; meetings with the Koror State Conservation and Law Enforcement Department and site visits to the South Lagoon region; strategic planning sessions to determine what aspects could be adapted to support Chuuk’s PAN plan; and identification of priority areas that will drive progress in Chuuk’s PAN operations.
The Chuuk delegation expressed deep gratitude to TNC for facilitating this learning exchange. The relationships established have created strong bonds and hope to continue working together at the community and leadership level to build a Micronesian nation/state for our people. The Chuuk delegation also expressed its deepest gratitude to Speaker Sabino Anastasio and HOD for hosting the welcome dinner and courtesy visit to OEK and Senate President Hawkens Bowles for hosting the farewell dinner. Being able to sit with Palau’s legislative leaders was of great benefit to the Chuuk delegation, providing them with a rare opportunity to hear the vision and ideas of legislators on policy development in the formulation and revision of PAN policies. TNC equally valued this learning exchange as it learned more about Chuuk’s political and traditional structures and traditional conservation practices. TNC will continue to support Chuuk in any way it can by providing data through TNC’s ongoing conservation efforts in Chuuk and continuing support for education and outreach. This learning exchange was part of the Micronesian Coral Reef Program funded by the Global Foundation for Coral Reefs (GFCR). The goal of the Micronesian Coral Reef Program and GFCR is to increase the resilience of coral reefs, associated marine ecosystems, and the communities and economies that depend on them.

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