Palau: Reason for Ocean Optimism

Efforts to conserve the world's oceans are continually challenged by both what people put into them, and the rates at which we are taking biodiversity out of them. Awareness of these problems is at an all-time high, and yet I often struggle to find examples of places where people have gone beyond awareness to actually adopt and practice ocean-friendly behaviors. But rest assured that there are still "hope spots" in the world's oceans, ones that remind us of the benefits that occur when people and governments prioritize marine conservation. The island nation of Palau is one of them. Consisting of approximately 250 islands, Palau is located in the Pacific Ocean region known as Micronesia. Though small in population (approximately 21,000), Palau has gained global prominence as a conservation leader in recent years through bold actions that redefine the value of the ocean to both Palau's people and to the world. In 2009, the government of Palau announced that it would make the entire nation a sanctuary for sharks, the first of its kind on the planet. The act completely forbid commercial shark fishing within Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone, an area of roughly 600,000 square kilometers, and sent a bold message to the world that overfishing of sharks should not be tolerated by Pacific nations -- not only because healthy shark populations are good for the oceans, but also because they are good for the economy. In fact, due to Palau's strong market for snorkel and scuba ecotourism,...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news