Coral Reef Rescue Project Officially Launches in Palawan Biosphere Reserve, Philippines

Photo: Milkah Pagobo (pictured above), Legislative Staff Officer at the Provincal Government of Palawan signing the Wall of Commitment at the official launch. 

Author: Palawan Council for Sustainable Development

Aiming to build capacity and develop solutions that ensure the long-term survival of climate refuge coral reef ecosystems by conserving biodiversity and supporting blue economies and communities, the GEF 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 (𝐂𝐑𝐑): 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐟𝐬, 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 was officially launched on May 25, 2026 in the Palawan Biosphere Reserve.

The Coral Reef Rescue Project is a 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐆𝐄𝐅-𝟕), 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐖𝐖𝐅-𝐆𝐄𝐅 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, and 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐔𝐐), in partnership with leading conservation organizations across six participating countries–the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) in the 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬; Wildlife Conservation Society in 𝐅𝐢𝐣𝐢, 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫, and 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬; Yayasan Reef Check in 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚; and the Marine Parks and Reserves Unit in 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚.

As the project's National Technical Facilitator and sub-executing partner, PCSD will lead the implementation in Palawan Biosphere Reserve. The project will cover climate refuge coral reef ecosystems–reefs that are less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and are critical to future global reef recovery–in the Municipalities of El Nido, Taytay and Dumaran.

The project aims to align with existing marine conservation initiatives in the Philippines by contributing to and complementing ongoing efforts to strengthen the network of Marine Protected Areas under the SEP Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN), support improved management of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, promote sustainable coastal livelihoods, and strengthen the capacity among local governments, communities, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders engaged in coastal resource management.

PCSDS Deputy Executive Director Dir. Niño Rey C. Estoya, MNSA, CESE opened the event, followed by an inspirational message from DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Atty. Jonah R. Leones. Ms. Jen Dunn, Project Manager of the GEF Coral Reef Rescue Project from University of Queensland International Development presented the global context of the initiative, highlighting how international scientists and conservation experts identified climate refuge reefs through global research and mapping efforts. She emphasized the importance of protecting these resilient reefs as a “seed bank” for future coral reef recovery amid the growing impacts of climate change.

Ms. Jen Dunn, Project Manager of the GEF Coral Reef Rescue Project, commented “Huge congratulations to PCSD on getting this important work underway. Action in the Philippines is incredibly valuable – not just for Palawan and the people who depend on these reefs, but for global efforts to protect coral reefs into the future. We are looking forward to seeing the real impact this project can have in strengthening reef protection, supporting communities, and building momentum for long-term action.” 

To symbolize their shared commitment, representatives from 𝐏𝐂𝐒𝐃𝐒, 𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐑-𝐁𝐌𝐁, 𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐑-𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐒, 𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐑-𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐎 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐧, the 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐧, 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐥 𝐍𝐢𝐝𝐨, 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧, and 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, joined the Ceremonial Signing of the Wall of Commitment, reaffirming their collective responsibility to conserve Palawan’s coral reef ecosystems and strengthen the resilience of coastal communities.

The Coral Reef Rescue Project marks an important step toward securing the future of climate-resilient coral reefs in Palawan while contributing to a broader global effort to safeguard the world’s most resilient reef ecosystems for generations to come.

About the Coral Reef Rescue Project 

The Coral Reef Rescue Project is a US$7M initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility to build capacity and solutions that ensure the long-term survival of climate refuge coral reef ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. The project is implemented by the World Wildlife Fund and executed by The University of Queensland in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society (Fiji, Madagascar, Solomon Islands), Yayasan Reef Check Indonesia, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Philippines and Marine Parks and Reserves Unit, Tanzania. 

Free Online Resources for Coral Reef Conservation 

Complementing the work in each country, the GEF 7 CRR project has released free online courses on coral reefs. These include Coral Reefs: Introduction to Challenges and Solutions, Coral Reefs: Sustainable Blue Economy, Coral Reefs: Data and Monitoring, Coral Reefs: Climate Resilient Communities.  These free online courses are available in English, Bahasa Indonesian, and French.  

Alongside these courses, a new free online decision support tool was created: Coral Reef Rescue Portal. This brings together over 70 existing coral reef datasets and resources in one easy-to-use, searchable platform.