This award supports a planning visit to Taiwan by U.S. scientists to lay the groundwork for a scientific collaboration in coral reef ecosystems. The proposed collaboration involves coral reefs at the Kenting ILTER site in Taiwan and the nearby National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium and will ultimate include comparative research with the Moorea Coral Reed LTER site in Moorea, French Polynesia. Coral reefs are one of the world's most threatened ecosystems, and the collaboration will contribute to the expansion of the knowledge base needed by resource managers, government officials and others charged with conservation and management of coral reef systems. The U.S. team, led by PI Peter Edmunds and co-PI Sally Holbrook, includes four senior scientists and four U.S. graduate students.
