Guam Takes Steps Towards a Comprehensive Guam Seashore Reserve Plan

On January 23rd, BSP-GCMP brought together representatives from DOAG, Guam EPA, SHPO, UOG/GLUC, UOG CIS, and BSP for the first Seashore Reserve Plan Advisory Meeting of 2025. It was a great opportunity for everyone to contribute to the ongoing development of the Plan

At the heart of this initiative is 21 GCA Chapter 63, the Territorial Seashore Protection Act of 1974, which established the Seashore Reserve in Guam. The Act emphasizes the importance of creating a Seashore Reserve Plan (SRP) to protect and manage our precious resources for today and for generations to come. The goal is to keep development to a minimum while providing clear guidelines for permits and development areas.

The SRP aims to ensure that the Seashore Reserve remains a special place for all of Guam’s residents, both now and in the future. To make this happen, we’ve established several key objectives:

• Maintain, restore, and enhance the overall quality of the Seashore Reserve’s environment, including its beauty and amenities.

• Support a thriving population of all living organisms.

• Strike a balance between using and preserving the reserve’s resources based on solid conservation principles.

• Avoid making irreversible commitments of the reserve’s resources.

• Ensure everyone has access to enjoy the visual and physical beauty of the area.

The Plan will include important components, such as definitions of public interest, ecological principles, land reservations, and recommendations for government policy. It will focus on six essential elements: land use, conservation, public access, recreation, population, and education or scientific use, and these elements can be adjusted as our vision for the reserve evolves.

 

There’s quite a history behind the Seashore Reserve Plan, originally intended to be completed in the 1970s, but we’re still working on it as of 2025. In 1993, a conceptual plan was commissioned, leading to a draft plan created by various agencies in 1994. By 2000, funding was secured for a consultant to push the project forward, which resulted in a preliminary draft plan being adopted by the Guam Seashore Protection Commission. There was some confusion about its adoption from 2002 to 2013, during which an Agency Working Group formed to revise the Plan. Things slowed down until 2021, when planners from BSP-GCMP started a comprehensive study, which continued into 2023. As of 2024, the BSP-GCMP lead Biologist has taken over the project, with a hopeful outlook on bringing it to a successful completion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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