Cook Islands Marine Park Steering Committee Visits Palmerston Atoll

Cook Islands Marine Park

The Cook Islands Marine Park will be a multi-zoned park, allowing some activities, like local fishing, while excluding others. During their time on Palmerston, the committee held a public meeting to discuss the plans, and then went door to door to collect feedback from the islanders. Armed with the thoughts of the Palmerston islanders the committee will now take their findings about the marine park proposal back to the government in Rarotonga.

Some of the scientists from the Golden Shadow sitting with a resident of Palmerston Atoll curious about the marine park proposal.

(Photos by Alison Barrat)

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Global Reef Expedition Data Contributes to Landmark Report on the World’s Coral Reefs

More than a decade after scientists aboard the Global Reef Expedition surveyed coral reefs across the Pacific, the data they collected continues to contribute to our understanding of the world’s coral reefs.

Today, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) released Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025, the most comprehensive assessment to date of the status and trends of coral reefs worldwide. The report brings together an extraordinary amount of information collected over more than four decades—and the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is proud to have contributed data from the Global Reef Expedition to this global effort.

Announcing the 15th Annual Science Without Borders® Challenge: Navigate with Care

Every day, fishing boats, ferries, sailboats, kayaks, research vessels, cargo ships, whales, sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds, and countless other marine animals share the same waters. While people rely on the ocean for transportation, recreation, research, fishing, and exploration, it is also home to some of the most diverse and important ecosystems on Earth.

That simple but powerful idea is the inspiration behind the 15th Annual Science Without Borders® Challenge.