Experience Note Q1 2026

This experience note documents a twinning exchange between the Micronesia
Challenge 2030 (MC 2030) Project and the Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities Through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus (BE-CLME+) Project, bringing together marine resource management practitioners from Palau, Jamaica and Belize, along with Stanford University and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. The exchange was conducted across two in-person site visits: Palau (November 16–22, 2025) and St. Lucia (January 24–30, 2026). Participants in the exchange explored shared approaches to marine protected area management, coastal and pelagic fisheries governance, and marine spatial planning across two small-island, large-ocean contexts. Participants from both regions also identified complementary strengths in community-based governance, traditional knowledge integration, and sustainable fisheries practice. The lessons distilled through this exchange contribute to improving the management of living marine resources and are shared here with the broader IW:LEARN community.