Palau Focuses on Eco-friendly Practices

(Dive Travel Business News - March 10, 2011) -- Palau is taking strides to preserve its natural resources, including sharks, whales, jelly fish, dolphins, agriculture, aquaculture and coral reefs. Eco-friendly practices are indigenous to the local culture and traditions and are now becoming a springboard for the island nation as several Palauan entities are enhancing their practices.

Palau’s former president, Tommy E. Remengesau, a key supporter of Shark Sanctuary, signed into law on Sept. 5, 2003, some of the world toughest shark protection legislation with heavy penalty of up to $250,000 per incident for violation. The ground-breaking legislation remains the law in Palau today, despite recent efforts to overturn. In January 2004, Palau received international recognition from Shark Project as a recipient of their first Shark Guardian of the year for passage of such tough shark protection law.

On Sept. 25, 2009, President Johnson Toribiong, during his address to the United Nation General Assembly, officially declared Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone as the world’s first officially recognized shark sanctuary. Since implementing this program, many other destinations have followed suit, including the Maldives, United States and Guam.

Palau has also declared all the waters within its Exclusive Economic Zone to be a marine mammal sanctuary for the protection of whales, dolphins and dugongs. Palau Minister of Natural Resources Environment and Tourism Harry R. Fritz announced the new 600,000-square-kilometer (231,660-square-mile) area last year. "From ancient times to today, we have conserved our biodiversity through the tools of ‘bul’ or moratoria, and protection of critical areas," said Fritz. "Biodiversity has always been integral to the Palauan culture. Our traditional identity, values, legends and practices are intimately linked to our surroundings and to our relationships with living creatures. Conservation of biodiversity is ingrained in our daily approach to life and inherent in the meaning of our words."

To complement these efforts, the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) has been a leader in conservation of Palau’s environment. Dedicated to the protection of biodiversity, Palau’s natural resources and to local communities that use those resources, PCS supports the establishment and management of conservation areas, the development of sustainable resource use policies and an increase of environmental awareness. For more information, visit www.palau-pcs.org.

The Palau-Taiwan Agrotourism Project is promoting both agriculture and tourism in Palau. The Palau-Taiwan Agrotourism Farm, located in Nekken, Aimeliik State, is now open. This site is not only an educational facility but also serves to demonstrate how local plants are grown, harvested and processed and cultivates 21 species of tropical fruits, such as soursop, breadfruit, jackfruit, carambola, mangosteen, jujube, rambutan, wax apple, pili nut, lanzones, noni, pitaya, giant grandadilla and tree cucumber, as well as such common fruits as pineapple, papaya, guava, lemon and sour orange. Processed fruit and vegetable products are also available and include taro wine and noni juice. For more information, email s.p.lin@icdf.org.tw.

Adjacent to a tropical forest, the farm leads to a nature trail with beautifully colored birds, some of which are endemic to the Palauan islands, including the biib, Palau’s national bird. For more information, call 680-544-1616. In addition to the aforementioned government initiatives, Palau is also home to some of nature’s most spectacular wonders of the world, namely the plethora and variety of coral, which is featured at the Coral Reef Center, Jellyfish Lake, Micronesian Shark Foundation’s Shark Week, the (new) River Boat Jungle Cruise, and Dolphins Pacific.

The Palau Aquarium is the interpretive division of Palau International Coral Reef Center, a non-profit organization which opened 10 years ago and has become one of the best land-based attractions for tourists and locals alike. It offers first-hand experiences to inspire understanding and respect of Palau’s natural marine ecosystems. For more information, visit www.picrc.org.

Jellyfish Lake is home to two types of jellyfish -- the golden jellyfish known as mastigias and the moon jellyfish known as aurelia. The lake is an enclosed body of water where, over the course of millennia, resident jellyfish have a mild, almost unnoticeable sting because they do not have to fight off predators, allowing adventurers a rare opportunity to swim among the unique water creatures. In order to access this unique adventure, visitors will need to enlist the transport of a local tour guide at one of the tour shops operating in Palau. The Rock Island and Jellyfish Lake entry permit is $35 per person in addition to the tour package. It is recommended that visitors’ sign up for the full-day excursion, which includes snorkeling, lunch in the Rock Islands and a trip to nature’s spa, the Milky Way. For more information, visit www.visit-palau.com.

Shark enthusiasts are invited to enjoy a shark-themed week full of adrenalin-packed activities as the Micronesian Shark Foundation (MSF) holds its eighth annual shark week at Palau’s Fish ‘n Fins dive shop from March 19 to 26. One of Palau’s newest attractions is the River Boat Jungle Cruise. Located in Ngchesar State, the Jungle River Boat Cruise is one of Palau’s eco-friendly tours, providing visitors with the ideal opportunity to relax and enjoy the island’s natural attributes firsthand. Dolphins Pacific is the world’s largest marine mammal interaction, educational and research facility. “Dolphin Bay,” located on the northern side of Ngeruktabel Island in Palau, is situated in a 200-million-gallon saltwater lagoon. For more information, visit www.dolphinspacific.com.

Located in the westernmost corner of Micronesia, Palau is an archipelago of more than 586 islands with about 20,000 inhabitants. Consistently ranked as one of the world's best dive destinations, Palau is the ultimate paradise for the adventurous traveler, boasting some of the most spectacular water features and beaches as well as the world-famous Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake. With more than 1,400 species of fish and 500 species of coral, some have called Palau the "Eighth Natural Wonder of the World," while others have identified Palau as "One of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the World." For more information about Palau, visit www.visit-palau.com.

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