September 29, 2026
Palau—Palau will host the 53rd U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting in May 2027, bringing the gathering to the country for the third time, according to a press release from the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC).
Organizers announced the decision at the conclusion of the task force’s September 2 business meeting in Washington, D.C. Palau previously hosted the task force’s 14th meeting in November 2005 and its 42nd meeting in September 2019.
PICRC Director of Research Geraldine Rengiil represented Palau as its official point of contact at the 52nd meeting, which ran from August 27 through September 4 at the U.S. Department of the Interior headquarters.
The gathering brought together representatives of U.S. government agencies, states, territories, and the Freely Associated States to discuss threats to coral reefs, review conservation priorities, and coordinate work across jurisdictions.
According to the release, discussions began with updates from the All Islands Committee and reviews of policies, jurisdictional challenges, and joint initiatives. Working groups on fisheries, enforcement, and coral restoration, disease, and disturbance also met to report on progress and discuss regional commitments.
Participants attended a NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training workshop, while Pacific delegates received an update on the Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas Community.
The public business meeting on September 2 included reports on the All Islands Committee’s priorities and work over the previous year, an international update, and presentations on coral reef conservation efforts.
Participants also received information on Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which the release described as a highly lethal disease affecting corals in the Atlantic and Caribbean that could spread to the Pacific. Other discussions addressed El Niño conditions and the risks of ocean warming and coral bleaching associated with marine heatwaves.
Task force co-chairs Angel A. Demapan, the Department of the Interior’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular, International, and Ocean Affairs, and Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, attended the business meeting.
PICRC said hosting the 2027 gathering will give Palau an opportunity to strengthen coral reef conservation partnerships and share its work with participating jurisdictions and agencies.
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