The Chunuf forest area is a top conservation target for the island state of Chuuk and is part of the West Fefen Area of Biodiversity Significance. It has also been a sacred area for generations. The forest is home to several endangered and threatened bird, plant, and tree species. The Onongoch community (population 400) on Fefen Island has, with traditional practices and chiefly taboos, conserved the forest for many years. Now it wants the government to officially recognize the forest as a conservation area. The Chuuk Conservation Society is helping to create a management plan for the new forest reserve.
Seacology is funding the construction of a meeting hall with office space. The village will also use grant funds to install 10 500-gallon water tanks and 10 toilets for the neediest members of the community. The community has agreed to protect 15 acres of pristine upland forest as a no-take area in perpetuity.