Chuuk has one of the largest closed lagoons in the world: an expanse of 2,129 square kilometers of high islands, atolls and water, circled by a 225-kilometer long barrier reef. The rural village of Epinup holds a large portion of the last healthy and intact mangrove forest on Weno Island.
The community of Epinup has signed a petition calling for the conservation of nearly 364 acres of its mangrove forest and marine areas. The Epinup community wants to protect the last remaining mangrove forest on Weno for an initial 25 years. In exchange, Seacology is funding a community water system for the village.