{"id":232177,"date":"2026-04-16T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=232177"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:18:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T01:18:00","slug":"pacific-reef-research-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/16\/pacific-reef-research-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> to lead new Pacific reef research institute"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"coral<\/p>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> has been designated as a new Pacific Reef Research Coordination Institute (Pacific RRCI<\/abbr>) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a> (NOAA<\/abbr>) to support coral reef conservation in the Pacific through research, collaboration and public education.<\/p>\n

The Pacific RRCI<\/abbr> will be housed in UH<\/abbr>\u2019s Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures<\/a>, under the aegis of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation<\/a>, and will perform the following critical functions: conduct federally directed research to fill national and regional gaps; collaborate with relevant states and territories, Indigenous groups, coral reef managers, non-governmental organizations, and other coral reef research centers; assist in the implementation of the NOAA<\/abbr>\u2019s National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy and coral reef action plans; build non-federal capacity for management and restoration practices; and conduct public education and awareness programs.<\/p>\n

“This new institute combines UH<\/abbr>\u2019s strengths in cutting-edge, ocean-related research and our collaborative, place-based approach to working with resource managers throughout Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the Pacific to protect our vital coral reefs,” said Chad B. Walton, UH<\/abbr> interim vice president for research and innovation. “At the same time, it provides us with further opportunities to develop our region\u2019s next generation of researchers and managers in the field of conservation futures.”<\/p>\n

To restore and preserve coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. from natural and human-related effects, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 was reauthorized and modernized by the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021, which was included in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act that became law in 2022. The reauthorized law required the designation of two RRCI<\/abbr>s, one each in the Atlantic and Pacific basins, was required. The RRCI<\/abbr>s were chosen from 32 preselected coral reef research centers and were designated based on the results of technical merit and panel reviews. The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 was introduced and sponsored by Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie K. Hirono, and Congressman Ed Case.<\/p>\n

The UH<\/abbr>-led institute will be guided by experienced reef researchers from UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>\u2019s Kewalo Marine Laboratory and the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Marine Biology, UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s Marine Sciences program, and the University of Guam\u2019s Marine Laboratory. It will support research, monitoring, capacity building and outreach for coral reef management throughout the U.S states and territories of American Samoa, Guam, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, and the Northern Marianas Islands and with the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.<\/p>\n

“Many people worked many years to make this vision for collaborative reef research across the Pacific a reality,” said Suzanne Case, director of the Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures. “We\u2019re excited to jump in with scientists and communities and agencies across the region to take it forward.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pacific RRCI<\/abbr> will be housed in UH<\/abbr>\u2019s Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":232179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[665,109,53,1505,508,1467,1363,1314,175,262,73,947],"class_list":["post-232177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-conservation","tag-coral-reefs","tag-hawaii-institute-of-marine-biology","tag-innovation","tag-kewalo-marine-laboratory","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-marine-biology","tag-marine-science","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-system","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t