Protecting oceans the Palauan way

How a small island country in the Pacific is taking the lead on climate impacts to protect its land, sea and wildlife.

The World Heritage-listed Rock Islands Southern Lagoon in Palau is one of the pilot sites for the Resilient Reefs Initiative (a global climate change program helping reefs and communities adapt to the impacts of climate change and local threats), and is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife including the hawksbill turtle, Napoleon wrasse and the other-worldly Jellyfish Lake.

A leader in marine conservation

Palau is also leading the way in ocean conservation as the only country on Earth to protect 80% of its offshore marine environment and the first nation to create a shark sanctuary. In 2009, Palau prohibited shark fishing across an area of around 600,000 square kilometres. In doing so, it created the world’s first national shark sanctuary, providing a safe haven for sharks to feed, rest and reproduce.

Learn more

Read more about Palau's progressive approach to protecting its oceans in the Great Barrier Reef's blog post here.