CCRES is involved in two pilot projects – at El Nido, a coastal municipality in the north of Palawan in the Philippines; and Selayar, an archipelago of 130 islands in South Sulawesi in Indonesia.

CCRES is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank and The University of Queensland (UQ). 

Together with the GEF, the World Bank and UQ, the project’s international partners include the University of the Philippines (UP), Cornell University and the University of California (Davis) from the United States and Currie Communications from Australia, which provide world-class expertise in research management, business development and stakeholder engagement. 

Project partners from the Philippines are the UP Marine Science Institute (UPMSI, which houses the national coordination office for the Philippines), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR, through the Biodiversity Management Bureau), the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the El Nido Local Government Unit, the El Nido Foundation and the Palawan State University.

CCRES is 'Phase Two' of the Coral Reef Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program (www.gefcoral.org, 2005-2010) which was joint-funded by the World Bank, the GEF and UQ.