Saipan hosted the 49th meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force last week.

The task force was created in 1998 to lead U.S. efforts to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Dozens of government, non-profit, science, and private sector leaders convened in Saipan to discuss the most pressing issues facing coral reefs, including climate change, and their actions to address it.

Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero attended the meeting on Thursday.

“It is a major meeting that addresses the protection and restoration of our coral reefs because it is very important. I am so excited that Gov. Palacios signed an executive order designating coral reefs as a critical infrastructure essential to our livelihood, our economy, and so forth. And I think that is a real big leap into focus and attention to coral reefs,” said Leon Guerrero.

The leaders meet biannually to discuss the key issues.