The Reef Resilience Network, through funding from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, hosted a two-day workshop to pilot a new Integrated Coral Disturbance Response Planning Framework. The workshop included twenty-eight participants from Guam Coral Reef Initiative, Guam Bureau of Statistics & Planning, Guam Division of Aquatic & Wildlife Resources, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, Fisheye Marine Park, U.S. Department of Defense, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Parks Service, and University of Guam Marine Lab.

The goal of the framework is to help strengthen capacity for coral disturbance response in the jurisdictions. Through hands-on activities and worksheets focused on three phases of response–Assessment and Preparation; Rapid Response Implementation; and Long-Term Response, Recovery, and Adaptive Management—workshop participants used the framework to draft components of the Guam integrated coral disturbance response plan. Participants also identified ways to improve the framework before it is shared with the other jurisdictions.

This workshop was held in partnership with the Guam Coral Reef Initiative, Department of Agriculture, and NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, and facilitated by Eastern Research Group (ERG).

Thank you to workshop facilitators and organizers: Diana Pietri, Ph.D., Senior Social Scientist, ERG; Cherie Wagner, Reef Resilience Network Training Lead, TNC; Tania Metz, Puerto Rico Program Manager, TNC; Ashton Williams, Program Manager, Guam Coral Reef Initiative; Remedy Rule, Coral Reef Restoration Coordinator; and Reilly N. Kleven, Disturbance & Response Coordinator, Guam Coral Reef Initiative.