While Palau is most famous for its stunning marine biodiversity and dive sites, its forests and the orchids hidden within them remain less well-known and need to be studied and protected as well. The Smithsonian North American Orchid Conservation Center's Palau Orchid Conservation Initiative works to conserve these nearly 100 species of orchids, working alongside domestic and international partners and community members to better understand and protect this biodiversity hotspot in the growing face of environmental change. The Palau Orchid Conservation Initiative https://serc.si.edu/research/projects/palau-orchid-conservation is a collaboration between researchers at: the North American Orchid Conservation Center, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Institution (Benjamin J. Crain, Melissa K. McCormick, & Dennis F. Whigham) the Orchid Recovery Program, Department of Biology, Illinois College (Lawrence W. Zettler) the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, United States Forest Service (Christian P. Giardina, Amanda Uowolo, Susan Cordell) and local partners in the Republic of Palau. Find out more at www.northamericanorchidconservationcenter.org
