| Palau | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Group of six archipelagos of islands in the Caroline chain, southeast of the Philippines in the North Pacific Ocean | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | Palau
Visitors' Authority
Palau National Communications Corporation |
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| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Ambassador
Hersey Kyota
1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Palau
National Communications
P.O. Box 99 Koror, Palau 96940 |
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| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | Conservation
Society
P.O. Box 1811 Koror, Palau 96940 |
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| Major Natural Resources | The major natural resource of Palau is the sea. The rocky, loosely connected nature of the islands makes farming difficult and in some places impossible, and forests do not exist. Tourism, fishing, and subsistence agriculture make up the major portion of the country's economy. Some denizens make a living through selling handmade items to tourists. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Palau currently enjoys good environmental health, with one of the most pristine ocean ecosystems in the world, but projections for the future predict population issues close at hand. The country's resources ae already experiencing some depletion, and there is observable strain being placed on sanitation, fisheries, and industry. Timely intervention could minimize the impact of the population doubling expected to occur. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 458 sq. km | basic country statistics courtesy CIA World Factbook 1998 | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 0 sq. km | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | 0 sq. km | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 3 nautical miles from coast | ||||||||||||||||||
| Population: | 18,110 | Density: | ( 39.54/Sq. km) | ||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: | 1459 ha | Fraction of land area protected (%): | 3.19% | ||||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | L ist of Major Protected Areas | Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal& nbsp; | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 6 January 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Law of the Sea | ||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | South Pacific Forum | ||||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | |||||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | handcrafts sold mainly to tourists | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | only of fish/marine animals | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | not a major problem yet, but with an expanding population and inadequate waste disposal, will have an impact in the future. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | |||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Katherine Foreman as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA