Palau Orchid Conservation Initiative

The Pacific Orchid Conservation Initiative has been launched by NAOCC and the U.S. Forest Service’s Institute of Pacific Island Forestry and includes researchers from Illinois College and the University of Hawaii. This project aims to improve our understanding of orchid communities and their biology, and to explore the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi associated with these orchids.
Why Palau?
The Republic of Palau is an archipelago of tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean and a key component of the Polynesia-Micronesia global biodiversity hotspot. The research team aims to improve our understanding of biodiversity while helping to sustain it amidst the growing threat of environmental change.
Check out the recent issue of The Plant Press to learn more about post-doc Ben Crain’s first field season on Palau. And our colleagues, Charlie and Trudy Hess, have featured the Palau research on their website.