Marine debris is harming Palau’s reefs and coastlines, especially around Koror RISL and Babeldaob. The pollution threatens marine life, culture, and the environment. Urgent youth-led action is needed to tackle this growing issue.

The Palau Pledge Dive Club, a youth-led network of over 100 certified Palauan scuba divers, is taking action through a series of coordinated underwater and coastal cleanup dives across the Koror RISL, Babeldaob, and neighboring island coastlines. These cleanups will directly remove harmful debris while raising awareness about ocean pollution. The project will partner with the Palau Earth Day Committee to introduce waste segregation protocols, ensuring collected materials are properly sorted for recycling, reuse, or safe disposal. This approach will reduce landfill burden and promote responsible waste management. To further strengthen impact and ownership, the project includes a series of fun and engaging capacity-building workshops designed for Dive Club ambassadors. These workshops will focus on marine conservation, youth leadership, communication, and advocacy — empowering young divers with the knowledge and skills to become long-term champions for a clean and healthy ocean. Together, this initiative combines action, education, and youth empowerment to address marine debris at its source and restore the health of Palau’s coastal ecosystems.