Golbuu

Palau possesses rich marine resources, which its people have depended on for their livelihood for generations. Coastal stewardship in Palau should focus on conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine environments, so that the future generations of Palau will be able to benefit from these resources as today. To accomplish this, we must have a clear vision of what we want to see for Palau in the future and how to reach there without sacrificing our environment and our natural resources. Villagers, traditional and political leaders, policy makers and all stakeholders need to be involved in the process in order to implement wise coastal practices.

Education and awareness programmes are needed so stakeholders can make wise and informed decisions regarding coastal resource management and use. People need to be informed about the different alternatives and their costs and benefits before making decisions.

Currently there are several different organisations and groups in Palau working to promote coastal stewardships. The various activities may be grouped under the following headings:

		Development of the Comprehensive Conservation Strategy for the Republic of Palau.
		Development of a Preliminary Wildlife Management Plan for the vertebrates of the Republic of Palau.
		Development of a conservation management framework.
		Working to establish sustainability of the Conservation Area.
		Implementation of the Ecotourism Development Plan for the Ngaremeduu Conservation Area Project.
		Inshore Sport Fishing Development Project.
		Benefits analysis of Palau’s Tuna Fisheries.
		Development of a comprehensive management plan for the Rock Islands.
		Preparation of a plan for the management of Ngeruangel atoll in Kayangel.
		Management of Ngerumekaol Channel Project.
		Preparation of the Peleliu State Conservation Strategy.
		Ngemelis Tourism Management Project.
		Palau’s Taiwanese Tourism Industry: Assessment of Issues and Suggestions for the Future.
		Assisting Kayangel State with evaluating the effectiveness of the Ngeruangel Reserve Management Plan (12 month review) to determine future actions.
		Working with Kayangel State to develop, implement and refine standard operating procedures for the day-to-day management of Ngeruangel Reserve, and develop linkages and exchanges with other state conservation officer programmes.
		Providing policy and technical advice to the Koror State Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement on the development of a comprehensive management plan for the Rock Islands/Southern Lagoon area.
		Working with Koror State to apply the ‘Framework for Site Conservation Planning’ to the development of the Rock Islands Management Plan.
		Providing advice and capacity building assistance to the Koror State Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement to build the enforcement and conservation management skills of the Rangers.
		Assisting with the development of a strategy for future conservation work on Babeldaob Island to address expected secondary development issues due to the construction and opening of the Compact Road, including: the hiring of a Senior Conservation Advisor; assisting the Palau Conservation Society build a terrestrial team to undertake baseline data collection and monitoring of selected critical areas, conduct land-use planning, and carry out community education programmes; and catalyse and guide an alliance between the relevant government and non-governmental organisations and other agencies involved with terrestrial conservation issues in Palau to maximise conservation effectiveness.
		Promote and support the use of the community-visioning concept and effective land-use planning.

		Water temperature dynamics.
		Marine lake health.
		Monitor drinking water and nearshore water quality.
		Coral Reef Monitoring Project, documenting baseline levels of sedimentation of Palau’s reefs, in collaboration with the University of Guam, Government of Palau and Japan Fund for Global Environment.
		Grouper Aggregation Monitoring Project.
		Study of water circulation in Malakal Harbour, assessing the fate and effects of sewage effluent entering Palau’s main harbour.
		Monitoring of established conservation areas:
			Ngerumekaol Channel, Ngeruangel Reserve, Ngemai Conservation Area, Ngardmau Conservation Area System, Ebiil Channel Conservation Area, Ngardok Nature Reserve.
		Design and facilitate the implementation of the short- and long-term scientific survey and monitoring programmes to feed into the planning and management process for the Rock Islands area.
		Assist Kayangel State with the design, and facilitate the implementation of the monitoring programme for Ngeruangel Reserve to ensure that the management objectives are being met.

		Mangrove crab project.
		Study the biological diversity of the marine lakes of Palau. More recent studies have focused on the dynamics of both the physical environment and biological communities of the lakes, particularly those with populations of jellyfish important for the tourist industry.
		Other areas of research include the dynamics of coral recruitment, coral diseases, the seasonal and lunar periodicity of seagrass reproduction, and culture of marine fish larvae.
		Study on alternative and/or innovative financing mechanisms for environmental work in Palau.
		Terrestrial biodiversity assessment of Babeldaob, collect baseline data and implement monitoring programmes for selected critical sites.

There are several things that can be done to promote coastal stewardship in Palau. There needs to be better communication of research results to stakeholders. Many studies that are conducted are not communicated in a form that can be understood by the stakeholders. Research that has bearing on conservation and management needs to be made available to stakeholders in a form that they can understand.

There are many different groups and organisations in Palau that need to better coordinate their activities and establish collaborative ties with each other. This would avoid duplication of efforts and make wise use of limited resources.

Accurate data on the current status of coastal resources are needed. In order to conserve resources, it is necessary to know what is there. Also, monitoring is required to determine if current programmes are working and achieving success in conservation.

Better land use planning and enforcement are needed to prevent erosion from damaging the coastal environment. Due to the small size of the islands, any activity that is performed on land can affect the marine environment.

		Information signposts.
		Fun activities in school awareness programmes.
		Building community awareness and participation in the project.
		Summer Marine Science Programme for high school students.
		Schools and community outreach programmes.

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