Sustainable Ocean Economies
As countries around the world establish marine protected areas (MPAs) to protect marine biodiversity, they must determine how best to integrate those MPAs into their development goals. We are developing approaches and tools to support the small island developing states of the Pacific in their efforts to integrate development and conservation.
In Palau, at the request of the President, we have been working with the Palau International Coral Reef Center and a team of Palauan and international experts to develop analyses and options for implementation of legislation that protects 80% of its Exclusive Economic Zone as a marine sanctuary, while achieving its economic development and food security goals. COS co-directors Micheli and Leape presented the report to the President of Palau and to a meeting of the full national leadership – ministers, governors and members of Congress – as well as other stakeholder groups in Palau. We are continuing to provide ongoing support to strengthen marine resource management.
Explore our work
The Palau National Marine Sanctuary
Managing ocean change and supporting food security in one of the largest marine protected areas in the world
Marine protection in Palau
Harnessing large-scale marine protection for food security, cultural heritage, and biodiversity conservation
Micronesia Challenge
Strengthening transboundary integrated marine resource management for healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable coastal fisheries
Digital platforms empowering small-scale fishers
Deploying a digital platform by ABALOBI with fishers in the Republic of Palau
Environmental DNA
Enabling the DNA detection of marine organisms from microbes to mammals
Data management and visualization
Co-developing training materials to support impactful, data-driven messages
Related News
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POV: You're navigating ocean policy in Palau
With support from the Center for Ocean Solutions and the Woods Institute, Sophia Siegel, BS Earth Systems ’25, MS Earth Systems ’26, helped weigh proposed changes to one of the world’s largest marine protected areas.
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California can’t afford to weaken ocean protections in a warming world
Center for Ocean Solutions Co-Director Fiorenza Micheli and Stanford Oceans Postdoctoral Scholar Nur Arafeh Dalmau advocate for expanding and strengthening marine protected areas in California to restore kelp forests and fish populations increasingly impacted by climate change.
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Small-scale fisheries stakeholders convene in Kenya to discuss sustainable fisheries, food security and biodiversity
Research scholar Nicole Franz moderates 3rd PROBLUE Global Engagement Forum (PGEF) on Small-Scale Fisheries, Food Security and Biodiversity in the Ocean, organized jointly by the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and World Bank's PROBLUE program.
Related Publications
- Claassens, L., Gupta, A., Hartge, E., & Sam, K. (2023). Palau National Marine Sanctuary Science and Monitoring Strategy: 2024-2034. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cI33Zv45J8jqKkKnz1iegthWAMiTcPMy/view
- Ferguson, C. (2022). Local practices and production confer resilience to rural Pacific food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marine Policy, 137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.104954
- Dacks, R., Lewis, S., James, P., Marino, L., & Oleson, K. (2020). Documenting baseline value chains of Palau’s nearshore and offshore fisheries prior to implementing a large-scale marine protected area. Marine Policy , 117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103754
Researchers
Jim Leape
Co-Director
Fiorenza Micheli
Co-Director
Elizabeth Selig
Managing Director
Eric Hartge
Research Development Manager
Collin Closek
Staff Scientist
Colette Wabnitz
Lead Scientist
Rob Dunbar
W.M. Keck Professor in the School of Earth Sciences and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Trevor Hastie
John A. Overdeck Professor, Professor of Statistics and of Biomedical Data Sciences
Stephen Palumbi
Jane and Marshall Steel Jr. Professor of Marine Sciences and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the EnvironmentProject Partners
