A collaborative initiative funded by $4.6 million from the NOAA Coastal Zone Management Program is underway to enhance coral restoration in American Samoa. The project unites local agencies, village leaders, and academic partners to build capacity and train future natural resource managers. It leverages decades of research on heat-tolerant corals amid rising marine heatwaves.
Multiple organizations have launched a $4.6 million project to bolster coral restoration efforts in American Samoa. Partners include the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, American Samoa Community College, the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, and Old Dominion University. The effort focuses on restoring healthy coral reefs while educating the next generation of natural resource managers.
American Samoa hosts some of the healthiest coral reefs in inhabited U.S. waters, known for their exceptional heat tolerance and featuring the world’s oldest continuously monitored coral reef transect. Researchers have advanced understanding of the environmental and genetic factors behind these heat-tolerant corals. The project builds on more than two decades of such studies to guide restoration.
Kelley Anderson Tagarino, an extension agent with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program in American Samoa and a co-lead on the project, emphasized the importance of heat tolerance. “By ensuring some of the corals in our restoration nurseries are heat tolerant, we can help our reefs have a better chance to withstand marine heatwaves,” she said. “American Samoa has long been known to have highly resilient corals, and now we will be able to weave together local knowledge with Western science to help our reefs continue to protect our islands and feed our people.”
The funding supports three graduate student positions for American Samoa residents to study coral restoration at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa or Old Dominion University. It also funds local roles in coral restoration through the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources and extends the American Samoa Community College’s Swim and Snorkel program, which teaches youth swimming, snorkeling, and water safety skills to encourage ocean engagement.
Oceana Francis, a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and coastal sustainability faculty with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, will lead hydrodynamic modeling. This work analyzes ocean water movement to pinpoint ideal sites for coral nurseries and identify shorelines most vulnerable to flooding, prioritizing those for outplanting resilient corals.