Let's Make 2013 The Year of Communications for the Micronesia Challenge
by Vangie Lujan, Director, Guam Costal Management Program
The year 2012 has been an exciting one filled with great strides here at the Micronesia Challenge. We
saw the endorsement of a regional sustainable finance plan, with
fulfillment of initial financial commitments by the Marshall Islands,
and pledged match by Conservation International. Much great work has
been done by our Measures Working Group - marine measures are currently
adopted and baseline has been collected, and terrestrial and
socio-economic measures and methods are currently being tested. We were
able to share our stories all over the world at conferences in the Cook
Islands, Australia, India, Korea, Mauritius and Germany. And in our
individual jurisdictions of the Marshall Islands, Kosrae, Pohnpei,
Chuuk, Yap, Palau, the CNMI, and Guam, the ideals and message of the
Micronesia Challenge became more widespread in ways that are new and
exciting to us.Specifically, our audience numbers increased in very encouraging ways. Our combined websites' pageviews number around 20,000 per month, our newsletter boasts a subscription of 10,000, and is further distributed on several listserves which push distribution into the tens of thousands, and our Facebook page grows everyday with an audience approaching 700,000. Consider that this time last year, we didn't have 20% of the audience we have today.
As 2013 begins, I would like to encourage each of us who receives this newsletter to do a few easy things that will grow our much needed and valued audience.
1. Visit our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/OneMicronesia, and press the "like" button. Then ask our other Facebook friends to do the same.
2. Visit our website at www.MicronesiaChallenge.org, and subscribe to the newsletter.
3. Visit our YouTube Channel at www.Youtube.Com/MicronesiaChallenge and subscribe to it.
To support our conservation work in Micronesia, it is vital that we grow our audience and share our many stories, both successes and lessons learned. We must work to fully implement our communications strategies and outreach plans. Join in the effort to make 2013, A Year of Communications for the Micronesia Challenge.