The fadang (Cycas micronesica) used to be one of the most common trees in Guam’s forest but is now listed as threatened on the Endangered Species Act. 

More than 30 volunteers from the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant and the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps participated in the activity, held in partnership with the Guam Preservation Trust (GPT) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  

GPT received stewardship of 173 acres of Atantåno land in 2014. Soon after, GPT and its partners developed the Atantåno Heritage Preserve Masterplan, where protecting biocultural heritage is a central priority. The plan outlines 10 focus areas, including atantinanomhassan, the care of endangered plants, and atanpengnga’, the care of other CHamoru customs and traditions (non-lanchu), according to the 2023-2027 GPT Strategic Master Plan. 

At the event, GPT Chief Program Officer Joe Quinata called on Guam’s CHamoru ancestral spirits to ask permission to learn from the land and to plant the fadang seedlings in Atantåno. 

“For those of you who may not know what Atantåno means in English, it means to look with your eyes on the land. Atan means to look and tåno means land,” said Quinata. “It is a pristine property, no development in there whatsoever other than ancient farming and cultural resources that you will find in there,” he added. 

“This outplanting carries significance for conservation, biodiversity, and CHamoru culture. The CHamoru people traditionally used fadang seeds to prepare titiyas fadang through a careful process of gathering, soaking, repeatedly rinsing the seeds to leach out toxins, drying, and grinding them into flour,” said Else Demeulenaere, Ph.D., UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant associate director for natural resources. 

Demeulenaere, who participated in the development of the Atantåno masterplan, said these practices not only nourished families but also strengthened cultural ties through the sharing of knowledge and food. 

Demeulenaere added that fadang is also a vital food source for native wildlife such as the fanihi or the Mariana fruit bat (Pteropus mariannus). “By restoring this species, we are helping to preserve, not just a plant, but the traditional practices and ecological connections that make up Guam’s biocultural heritage,” she said. 

In line with the mission of UOG CIS & Sea Grant ICL to safeguard Guam’s most endangered plants and the cultural practices tied to them, the lab was awarded a USFWS grant to grow endangered species for GPT.  

The first plants to be planted were cycads, with more endangered species to follow.

To ensure that cultural resources are respected and protected during this process, the team worked closely with GPT during the planning and actual outplanting of the fadang. 

Ways to help protect Guam’s fadang:

• learning about their cultural importance and supporting restoration projects through volunteering and planting
• protecting cycad habitats from fire and invasive species 
• practicing sustainable traditions
• sharing knowledge with younger generations
  
  

Jacqueline Flores, USFWS Mariana Island Supervisor, stresses the importance of involving the community in these types of activities, “We need engagement from the community because these are our people’s resources, and they should be recognized and respected as resources that rightfully belong to the people of the Marianas.”