WE PROPOSE TO WORK WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF PALAU TO UTILIZE NASA EARTH OBSERVATIONS IN CONCERT WITH BEST INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES TO SUSTAINABLY SITE (LOCATE) AND MANAGE CLIMATE-READY AQUACULTURE FARMS IN PALAU. PALAU IS A SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATE WHOSE CITIZENS CONSUME MORE WILD FISH PER CAPITA THAN NEARLY ANY COUNTRY ON EARTH. WILD FISH STOCKS IN PALAU HAVE DECLINED AND CONTINUE TO DECLINE AT AN ACCELERATING RATE. CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ARE PROJECTED TO FURTHER DECREASE CATCHES BY 25% IN PALAU CREATING AN IMPENDING FOOD SECURITY CRISIS. WITH A LAND AREA 2.5 TIMES THE SIZE OF WASHINGTON D.C. MARINE AQUACULTURE THE PRACTICE OF FARMING AQUATIC ORGANISMS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF PALAU THE NATURE CONSERVANCY AND PARTNERS AS A PRIMARY WAY TO MEET FOOD PRODUCTION NEEDS. HOWEVER PALAU DOES NOT HAVE THE EXISTING TECHNICAL CAPACITY TO UTILIZE EARTH OBSERVATIONS TO INFORM THE SPATIAL PLANNING NEEDED TO MANAGE AN AQUACULTURE SECTOR SUSTAINABLY WITHOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HARM. THIS PROPOSAL ADVANCES SDG 14.A 14.2 AND 14.7 BY BUILDING CAPACITY AND SUPPORT FOR EFFECTIVE REGULATORY PROCESSES IN PALAU TO SUSTAINABLY MANAGE AND PROTECT MARINE RESOURCES UNDER THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE. SPECIFICALLY WE PROPOSE TO BUILD TECHNICAL CAPACITY WITHIN THE PALAU BUREAU OF MARINE RESOURCES TO CONDUCT SPATIAL PLANNING FOR AQUACULTURE IN ALIGNMENT WITH BEST INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES. THE NATURE CONSERVANCY HAS PARTNERED WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF PALAU FOR OVER 28 YEARS AND HAS WORKED TO ADDRESS OCEAN CONSERVATION CHALLENGES TO BENEFIT PEOPLE AND NATURE. LEVERAGING THIS STRONG PARTNERSHIP WE WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF PALAU AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO: (1) IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP AQUACULTURE SITING GUIDELINES (2) CONDUCT IN-COUNTRY TRAINING MODULES AND PROVIDE DIRECT MENTORSHIP TO TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE OF TECHNICAL AQUACULTURE SPATIAL PLANNING APPROACHES TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PALAU BUREAU OF MARINE RESOURCES (3) COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP SPATIAL PLANNING ANALYSES AND PRODUCTS THAT UTILIZE NASA REMOTELY-SENSED EARTH OBSERVATIONS DATA PRODUCTS (I.E. IDENTIFY LOCATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH MAJOR SPACE USE CONSTRAINTS AND BIOPHYSICAL ECOLOGICAL FORECASTING TO IDENTIFY CLIMATE RESILIENT LOCATIONS FOR AQUACULTURE) FOR 3-5 IDENTIFIED PRIORITY REGIONS (~ 10% OF PALAU'S EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE THAT IS USABLE FOR AQUACULTURE) AND (4) DEVELOP AN ONLINE SPATIAL DECISION SUPPORT TOOL THAT HOSTS THESE PRODUCTS TO ENSURE THEIR LONG-TERM UTILITY AND VALUE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF PALAU.