| Fast Facts |
location
470 miles southeast of the Philippines; approximately 8 hours from Hawaii
ecoregion
Micronesia
project size
177 square miles
public lands
16 national and state conservation areas
partners
Palau Conservation Society, state and national governments, local communities
conservancy initiatives
Marine, Invasive Species
natural events
snorkel among stingless jellyfish in the Rock Islands’ Jellyfish Lake; turtle nesting and hatching, May–August; coral spawning, year-round | |
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Palau is one of the seven underwater wonders of the world, with dugongs, saltwater crocodiles, 550 coral species, 300 species of sponges and 1,300 varieties of reef fish. |
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Diving among jellyfish, Palau Marine Lakes.
© David Doubilet/National Geographic Image Collection |
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Scuba enthusiasts journey from around the globe to explore the reef riches surrounding Palau’s 586 islands, one of the top underwater destinations in the world. Divers drift down coral walls past colorful anemones, schools of triggerfish, towering sea fans and giant clams. They might see a lone wrasse, manta ray or sunken ship from World War II. Above the water, the strange Rock Islands—uninhabited mushroom-shaped islets topped with dense green foliage—create a prized maze for sea-kayakers and ideal habitat for myriad sea life.
Although much of Palau’s human history is shrouded in mystery, there is evidence of habitation here from as early as 1000 B.C. Following European contact in the late 18th century, Palau passed from Spanish to German to Japanese rule, becoming a protectorate of the United States after World War II. One of the world’s youngest nations, Palau gained its independence in 1994. |
Rock Islands at Seventy Islands
National Park.
© Kelvin Aitken/Peter Arnold, Inc. |
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The Nature Conservancy was the first international conservation organization to build a presence in Palau, playing a key role in establishing the Palau Conservation Society, today the country’s leading nonprofit organization. Both organizations have aided the government in designating a dozen new marine and terrestrial conservation areas—the cornerstone of a |
| nationwide network of conservation areas that the Conservancy is helping design. After the president of Palau asked the Conservancy to become more involved in developing the country’s environmental policy, we began helping create comprehensive “ridges to reefs” conservation strategies and management plans. | |
In 1998 Palau’s corals were severely damaged by climate change–related bleaching, whereby warmed ocean currents and too much sunlight penetrating the water turned corals white, brittle and lifeless. Nearly 99 percent of corals on some reefs died. Their subsequent recovery, however, and the study of those reefs that proved resilient to coral bleaching helped spark a new Conservancy-wide program. The Transforming Coral Reef Conservation Program aims to mitigate future coral bleaching by designing and managing marine protected areas that can survive climate-change events and replenish damaged corals. Palau is one of the pilot sites for this exciting new initiative.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Republic of Palau. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
coral reefs, rock islands and lagoons, coastal mangroves, interior forests, hawksbill turtle, dugong, manta ray
stresses
overexploitation of marine resources, unsustainable development, inadequate solid waste and sewage disposal, coastal dredging, spread of invasive species, climate change
strategies
designate marine protected areas, influence land-use planning, promote ecologically sound public policies, strengthen local partner organizations
results
12 new conservation areas designated; Palau Conservation Society established; founding president of PCS, Noah Idechong, received Goldman Environmental Prize and is now a member of the Palau National Congress | | | | |
