Conservationist

Tarita Holm has been a part of Palau’s conservation community for nearly 25 years. Since returning home to Palau in 2000 after finishing college, her work over the years has been focused on biodiversity, terrestrial ecology, plant taxonomy, food security, agriculture, aquaculture, protected areas, sustainable land use, policy development, good governance, healthy aging, gender & social inclusion, and the application of GIS to support management decisions in collaboration with key local agencies. She was part of the team that led the development of Palau's climate change policy and action plan (2015) and worked as a climate change advisor to the Palau National Marine Sanctuary Office (2018).

She is the mother of three girls (aged 25, 16 and 13) and runs a small family business with her husband called “Palauan Made.” She is an active member of her community in Ngardmau State and is passionate about Palauan culture, systems of governance & economics, the environment and ensuring Palauan core values and traditional knowledge are transferred to the next generation.

Tarita holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from Mills College in Oakland, California and a Master of Science degree in Biodiversity Conservation & Management from the University of London. She loves art, music, indigenous studies and spending time in nature.