Yahoo – AFP,
28 Oct 2015
 |
A photo
received on October 28, 2015 shows Palau's Rock Islands as the tiny
Pacific
island nation created a vast marine sanctuary the size of Spain, saying it
wanted to restore the ocean for future generations (AFP Photo/Matt Rand)
|
Koror
(Palau) (AFP) - The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau created a vast marine
sanctuary the size of Spain on Wednesday, banning fishing across the bulk of
its waters to preserve the ocean for future generations.
At 500,000
square kilometres (193,000 square miles), the new sanctuary is one of the
largest in the world and covers an underwater wonderland containing 1,300
species of fish and 700 types of coral.
Palau
President Tommy Remengesau said the sanctuary, comprising 80 percent of the
nation's maritime territory, would allow the ocean to heal after decades of
industrialised fishing which has driven some species to the brink of
extinction.
"A
small island nation can have a big impact on the ocean," he said ahead of
a ceremony Wednesday to officially sign off on the reserve.
 |
A photo
received on October 28, 2015 shows a 'spotted sweet lips' fish on the tiny
Pacific island nation of Palau, which has created a marine sanctuary the size
of
Spain, saying it wanted to restore the ocean for future generations (AFP
Photo)
|
"Island
communities have been among the hardest hit by the threats facing the ocean.
Creating this sanctuary is a bold move that the people of Palau recognise as
essential to our survival."
The
archipelago, part of the larger island group of Micronesia in the west Pacific,
has a population of just 18,000.
The
sanctuary will be phased in over five years, eventually leaving only a
relatively small area of Palau's waters open to fishing by locals but not the
foreign trawlers which dominate the Pacific industry.
The
no-fishing plan prioritises tourism -- which contributes about US$160 million
or 50 percent of gross domestic product annually -- over the tuna industry,
which contributes around US$5.5 million a year.
Palau
created the world's first shark sanctuary in 2009 and about one-third of
countries have now followed suit, changing attitudes to the predator and
helping curb demand for shark fin soup.
 |
A photo
released on October 28, 2015 shows a shark off the tiny Pacific island
nation
of Palau, which has created a vast marine sanctuary the size of Spain,
saying
it wanted to restore the ocean for future generations (AFP Photo)
|
Conservation
efforts are underway in the Pacific to create a network of marine parks across
the region to ensure one of the world's last pristine ocean ecosystems is
managed sustainably.
In 2012 the
Cook Islands unveiled a 1,065 million square kilometre marine park while
Kiribati and Tokelau have also declared huge protected zones.
New Zealand
announced plans last month to create a marine sanctuary the size of France by
2016.
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