Dr. Yimnang Golbuu

Dr. Yimnang Golbuu is currently the Coral Resilience Director at The Nature Conservancy, Micronesia and Polynesia. Before joining TNC, he was the Chief Researcher at the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) for 10 years before becoming its CEO, holding the CEO position for 11 years. In 2012, he received a commendation by the Palau National Congress for his contributions to the sustainability of Palau’s natural resources and in 2013, he was awarded a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation. Dr. Golbuu is engaged in various marine-related initiatives at the local and international levels. He has served as a board member of Palau Conservation Society, Chair of the Northern Reef Management Planning Team, Member of the Northern Reef Co-Management Committee, member of Palau National Marine Sanctuary Executive Committee and Chair of the Protected Areas Network Technical Committee. His engagement at the international level includes being one of the Lead Authors for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report, Chapter 15, Working Group II and serving as Palau’s Focal Point for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). At present, Dr, Golbuu serves as Palau’s Point of Contact (POC) for the US Coral Reef Task Force, Board Member of the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT), member of Palau National Commission of UNESCO and member of the Expert Group for the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.

Dr. Golbuu received his B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California at Davis, M.S. in Biology from the University of Guam, and Ph.D. in coral reef ecology at Southern Cross University in Lismore, Australia.