UN General Assembly
2019

Sustainable marine protection has been a tradition in Palau that extends back thousands of years. For most of our history, the greatest threat has come from overfishing. When fisheries started to decline, the elders would declare a bul, or prohibition, and all fishing in that area would cease. Knowing when to exercise restraint has been key to the sustainable management of our marine environment. Palau has some of the most well-preserved coral reef ecosystems in the world. However, we face many challenges brought on by a globalized world. Local fisherman are not the only ones trawling our waters today, and the climate crisis threatens to render island lives and livelihoods untenable. Therefore, like our ancestors, Palau has once again declared a bul against fishing — but this time on a scale the world has rarely seen.