A Lot Of Bul

One of my all time favorite Pacific coral destinations is the island Republic of Palau. I love its friendly and diverse people and rich culture. I love the language and food. I love that it's small enough a place to feel that I've actually gotten to know it. And I love it's spectacular underwater vistas. I'd be hard pressed to think of anywhere that matched Palau on so many different levels. Perhaps because of its abundance of natural and cultural beauty, Palauans have been eager to protect an identity that can too easily be lost.

However one particularly stunning island system in the Palauan archipelago just missed-out on some much needed protection. Last week, Palau's Senate killed a bill to designate the Ngemelis Islands as a National Heritage site. The islands and area have become embroiled in a heated dispute between Koror State legislature and President Tommy Remengesau Jr. and the tourism industry. Ngemelis (pronounced Nem-uh-LEESE) Islands comprise the southern terminus of the greater Palau lagoon. Ngemelis is a tremendously popular dive and snorkel destination, with at least four of the top dive spots in the world. Jacques Cousteau himself labeled Ngemelis' Big Drop Off as his favorite dive spot of all time. This stunning reef complex of crystal clear water, shallow coral garden platforms, sheer coral walls, and big, abundant fish is the stuff of legend.

Koror State wants to open the area to fishing. But President Remengesau and the Ministry of Tourism say fishing within 100 yards of the world famous dive sites may jeopardize their marine environment and attractions. President Remengesau had told Koror State Governor Yoshitaka Adachi that designating the area a national heritage site would be the first step in "granting it the world-wide recogntion it deserves and making it eligible for international funding and technical assistance."

The bill would have sought to prohibit all fishing within one mile of the island chain and 1,000 yards from any designated dive site. But the Senate rejected the President's approach to overcoming the Koror State laws regarding the Ngemelis Islands as an infringement upon the constitutional rights of individal states and lands. While still too early to tell how President Remengesau will counter this setback, it might still be possible for Palau's traditional Council of Chiefs to have some impact by declaring a bul around Ngemelis.

Palau's practical experience with ecosystem management extends back thousands of years. The traditional practice of bul is an important example. Bul (similar to a taboo or tabu designation) involves the Council of Chiefs placing reef areas off limits to fishing during known fish spawning and feeding periods. This respects vulnerabilities in the ecosystem while ensuring that there will be robust fish to catch during other times of the year. This traditional bul system has become the basis for Palau's network of protected areas and its new Protected Area Network (PAN) law. Micronesia is home to much of the world's coral biodiversity -- Palau alone has 1300 species of fish and 700 species of corals across its islands. It's this rich diversity that has inspired Palau's President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr.'s commitment to conservation as well as his establishing the Micronesian Challenge.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, President Remengesau formed a challenge to his neighbors to follow Palau's example of setting aside 30% of nearshore marine, and 20% of forest ecosystems for conservation by 2010. Palau already has that amount in reserve, though not all of it is yet enforced.