Residents weigh in on Guam’s coral reef resilience plan

Ashton Williams, right, Guam Coral Reef Initiative manager, presided over a public meeting at the Guam Museum, where residents were asked to participate in planning for a coral reef resilience strategy. Photo by Ron Rocky Coloma

By Ron Rocky Coloma

Residents concerned about Guam's changing coral reefs are calling for stronger enforcement, tighter controls on development and pollution, and more environmental education as officials prepare Guam's next five-year coral reef resilience strategy.

About 40 people attended the Coral Reef Resilience Strategy Public Town Hall on Aug. 12 at the Guam Museum, where the Guam Coral Reef Initiative asked residents to identify changes they have seen in reefs, threats they believe are causing damage and actions they want government agencies to consider.

The public input will help shape an update to Guam's coral reef resilience strategy, released in 2019 to guide conservation work through 2025.

“The input that you give us tonight, telling us what your priorities for coral reef conservation are, will be integrated into the plan to make sure it’s not just a bunch of, you know, government agency people, but the folks who are actually out enjoying our reefs, using our reefs, maybe making money off of our reefs, to make sure that their priorities are included in the plan,” said Ashton Williams, Guam Coral Reef Initiative manager.

Participants moved among six stations and wrote their observations and recommendations on sticky notes. They noted coral browning and bleaching, typhoon damage, sedimentation, algae, fewer fish and changes in other marine life.

Participants wrote their observations and recommendations on sticky notes. Photo by Ron Rocky Coloma

Some noted shoreline erosion, low tides and storm-related sand movement that exposed reefs.

Suggestions included stronger enforcement of existing environmental laws, more funding and manpower for enforcement, improved sewage infrastructure, tighter controls on construction

runoff and dust, clearer reef signage, more mooring lines and stronger anchor rules.

Other participants proposed restrictions on harmful chemicals and certain sunscreen products, seasonal fishing permits, limits on recreational activity during low tides, restrictions on stepping on reefs and increased education for residents and visitors. One note called for opposition to deep-sea mining, while another suggested mangrove replanting and incentives for residents to participate.

“Making sure that everyone’s voices are heard is critical to making the plan as good as it can be,” Williams said.

The Guam Coral Reef Initiative, established by executive order in 1997, is now housed within the Department of Agriculture's Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources.

Williams said its mission includes conserving and restoring Guam's coral reefs, seagrasses and mangroves.

The initiative operates two coral nurseries, including one at Piti Bomb Holes Marine Preserve, which contains about 1,700 individual corals. A second nursery at Dogleg Reef, operated in collaboration with the Navy, holds about 900 corals. Both are being expanded.

The initiative conducts education, monitoring and rapid responses to reef emergencies. Williams described a poor-water-quality event last year at Piti Bomb Holes Marine Preserve after several days of heavy rain.

Testing conducted with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency found high coliform levels in the Taguag River, she said, prompting a cleanup with partners that collected about 50 bags of trash.

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The program is developing marine invasive species surveillance and marine water quality programs while supporting long-term reef monitoring at the University of Guam.

Water temperature and extreme low tides threaten coral health. Asked during the town hall whether active bleaching can be stopped, Williams said options are limited.

“Generally, we cannot stop bleaching,” Williams said. “The ocean is too big and too variable, and the cost to do anything about it would be, like, either too expensive or the environmental compliance would be insane.”

She said increased water temperatures are the primary driver of bleaching locally, while extreme low tides can worsen conditions by leaving corals exposed to warm water.

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Williams encouraged residents to report unusual reef conditions, even when only a few bleached corals are visible, because bleaching can signal heat stress or another problem.

The resilience strategy update follows a daylong workshop with local and federal natural resource agencies and nonprofit partners. Those groups reviewed progress under the existing plan and discussed actions for the next five years.

For the initiative, the town hall added another layer: observations from people who swim, fish, snorkel, dive and spend time around Guam's reefs.

“We need community input about what the community thinks is important for us to be working on,” Williams said.

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