Palau Northern Reefs 2020-2021 Progress Report
Overview
For four years, Global Conservation and OneReef have partnered on the development and implementation of an innovative and highly-impactful enforcement initiative to protect coral reefs and local fisheries in Palau. This collaborative effort brings together two globally-recognized environmental organizations with significant track records in establishing sustainable community-based approaches to addressing critical challenges that require urgent solutions.
Palau’s Pacific Guardians focuses on the environmentally sensitive nature of Palau’s coral reefs, and the interconnectedness of reefs and the local fisheries. Important progress has been made during the last four years since the formation of the Pacific Guardians program, and significant growth in impact is projected in the near and longer-term as the initiative is solidified in Palau and has the opportunity to replicate in other Pacific regions.
Objectives
Create sustainable and effective enforcement and patrolling operations for Northern Reefs in Palau (Ngarchelong State)
Protect vulnerable fish populations that provide income and food to local communities and increase resilience to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise
Build a pathway to precedent-setting legal convictions, setting an example of the consequences of illegal fishing
Global Conservation financed new boat engines for marine patrols.
Fisheries Enforcement and Coral Reef Health
Coral reefs support twenty-five percent of all marine life, feed 500 million people, contribute over $30 billion in tourism revenues globally, and buffer shores from the ravages of storms and king tides. While the importance of coral reefs is undisputable, shockingly they are in crisis: 50% of coral reefs have died in the last thirty years. Too often, coral reefs are negatively impacted by illegal overfishing in areas where climate resilience depends on the relationship between reef fish and corals.
Threats include illegal fishing in no-take zones such as nighttime spearfishing, targeting of protected species, and fishing spawning aggregations. The Pacific Guardians initiative is focused on protecting marine biodiversity and helping local communities thrive with networks of smartly spaced protected areas across the world's coral reef zones. This protection is provided by dedicated local managers who prevent overfishing and monitor reef health.
Developing the Pacific Guardian Teams
Ngarchelong State, in the Northern Reefs of Palau, has presented an excellent strategic opportunity to demonstrate indigenous and tech-supported enforcement that can replicate to other parts of the Pacific Region. When OneReef and Global Conservation began work in Ngarchelong, the project had rangers, boats, and a legal framework for protection. Despite these essential elements, however, enforcement was not fruitful due to a lack of training, leadership, sufficient equipment, and necessary community engagement.
The program quickly began to transform ranger teams into a fully-trained and equipped force, motivated and directed by an influential local leader. OneReef also engaged the local community to support the ranger teams by reinforcing the critical role they play in recovering depleted fish stocks that are critical to climate adaptation and cultural practices.
Accomplishments to date
Key core practices are now instituted, such as recording within logbooks, patrolling schedules, tactical vessel boarding, and structured communication plans.
A system is now in place for warnings and fines for repeat offenders.
An M2 vessel tracking system has been installed. There are clean power/internet services installed to 90% uptime. M2 software is further developed to ensure accurate vessel alerts that result in warnings/deterrence and write-ups/fines.
Leadership is in place and community members engaged to support necessary steps for fisheries recovery, coral reef climate resilience, and nature-based tourism.
The critical legal work with the Attorney General’s Office has been instituted to prosecute an outstanding case, as well as review and strengthen the legal foundation for continued coral reef and fisheries protection.
The formal partnership with the Governor is significantly strengthened with a new long-term agreement.
Science-based coral reef health monitoring continues as part of a collaboration with Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
Enhancing and Replicating the Initiative
Global Conservation and OneReef have an excellent opportunity to leverage the success of the Pacific Guardians up-to-date, and in the process enhance its impact and develop replication strategies in regions throughout the Pacific.
Specific next steps can include:
Targeted follow-up mentoring of ranger teams and key community leaders.
Enhanced legal work to prosecute a landmark case.
Continued monthly meetings to ensure rangers update the council of chiefs.
The Marine Monitor system (M2) is an important component of MPA protection in Palau and elsewhere.
Working with Traditional and Local Communities
More than 1 billion people rely on coral reef fisheries for food — and reefs also provide shoreline protection from storms, income from tourism, opportunities for medical advances, and traditional and cultural value.
Coastal and island communities are effective environmental stewards when their traditional knowledge and practices are combined with the right scientific, financial, and technical partnerships and resources.
Local and traditional communities, who are legal marine area owners and stewards, want to ensure their reefs continue to thrive in the face of overfishing and overuse. However, these communities often lack the scientific and technical resources that enable long-term conservation. We work on the ground with communities, community leaders, and governments, leveraging strong relationships to create change and deliver services.
Global Conservation’s MPA Protection resources include:
· Developing and supporting community marine management plans
· Mentoring to build local capacity for effective marine resource management
· Establishing sustainable financing plans
· Training, tools and infrastructure to protect reefs
· Science-based monitoring to measure impact
Our partners, like OneReef in Palau and Nan Madol Miconesia, negotiate partnership agreements with community leaders. Agreements include no-fishing rules and catch limits for important fish species, and we create a long-term shared vision and finance plans so communities can preserve their marine ecosystem’s resilience into the future.
We believe that biological data, enforcement efficacy, and community engagement are critical measures of success. Our community agreements include accountability from all partners, so that we can assess how much impact we have and can adjust management to be even more effective.
Illegally fished sharks in Palau. Illegal fishing such as this is a threat to the integrity of marine ecosystems and to the livelihoods of traditional communities. © Richard Brooks
When we invest, communities receive jobs, new skills, and healthy MPAs. As we address illegal fishing and see local management capacity grow, we see a “spillover” effect into neighboring communities that want to create the same long-term change.
Coastal and island communities want to protect their traditional fisheries, their coral reefs, their heritage, and their livelihoods. We are here to help them.