The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund is donating more than $24,000 to the University of Hawaii for coral reef research in Palau.

The University of Hawaii Foundation said Monday the money will pay for lab work and disseminating management recommendations.

The research uses the latest population genetics methods to understand how reefs recover from catastrophic disturbances such as mass bleaching events.

The results will provide guidance in the design of Marine Protected Areas in Micronesia and around the world.

Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology Director Jo-Ann Leong said Monday the grant will provide essential support to better understand coral reefs around Palau.

The Nature Conservancy and the Palau International Coral Reef Center are partners of the Connecting Coral Reefs Worldwide Project.