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NATURAL RESOURCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The Natural Resources and Environmental Education Division (NREED) of CRE has continued its important role in starting and completing projects that will greatly benefit the people of Palau. Our main projects have been directed at finding opportunities for interested clients in the booming aquaculture industry. Plus we have remained constant at informing the surrounding communities about important environmental issues through meetings and published materials. We also pursued programs that would increase our knowledge of the status of Palau's environment and how to maintain it.

AQUACULTURE

Many of NREED's projects center on the growing aquaculture industry. Aquaculture is a growing field of business where farmers grow and harvest creatures of the water to sell either as a food product or for the expanding home aquarium trade. Some farms can be a highly technological and time consuming. However, at NREED, we are trying to find ways to simplify and raise a product that does not require a lot of high-cost equipment and enormous amounts of time in order that it may be a more viable option for our clients. The main goal of the aquaculture programs is to find the simplest means available to bring a product to market in an environmentally friendly manner.

Our biggest project on the horizon is the completion of two ponds for the rearing of freshwater prawns at the new R&D Station in Ngeremlengui. Freshwater prawns were chosen because of their high value on the seafood market. These ponds will act as a test for future prawn farms in the area. Every effort is being made to keep this a low-tech program in order that it will be a viable option to future clients. The prawns will also be raised in a way that will not harm the local environment but in fact may benefit it. The effluent released from the ponds could be used to irrigate crops like taro and as a water source for animals.

Besides the prawn project, commercial sponge farming is another aquaculture program for NREED. Commercial sponges are used for various uses in the home and industry worldwide and there is large demand for a high quality product. Unfortunately much of the world’s stock of the sponge needed for commercial use has been depleted. However that created a need for farm raised sponges. A commercial sponge farm requires limited funds and time plus it helps the environment by preventing the further depletion of wild stocks. NREED has given several community meetings on the starting and maintaining a successful sponge farm and has helped clients set up farms in Koror, Ngeremlengui, Ngardmau, and Ngchesar states.

The final NREED aquaculture program is the raising of marine invertebrates for the home aquarium trade. This is a new business opportunity for Palau. The culture of marine invertebrates (clams, hard corals, and soft corals) has the potential to be a low-tech, environmental friendly, multi-million dollar industry. Right now NREED is conducting trials with multiple types of hard corals to determine which corals will do best in a farm environment and be the best product to bring to the aquarium market. Sponges that have potential in the aquarium trade were also tested in home aquarium and mariculture trials were conducted and completed.

Palau is very fortunate to have an availability of clean marine and fresh water. The objectives of the water quality program at Palau Community College are to maintain the quality of both the marine and fresh waters of Palau and to provide educational water quality programs and activities to individuals as well as interested public and private agencies.

For the past year activities of this program included monthly water sampling of sites located at Ngeriliil and Ngermeskang Rivers and quarterly analysis of Palau Community College campus’s water. The test results could then have been used to implement and determine the best water management practices.

Through public meetings and publications, the water quality program sought to enhance the public’s knowledge on how to safeguard their waters and become active participants by utilizing water preservation and conservation methods.

Marine conservation programs have always been a focal point here at NREED due to the fact that the marine environment plays such a vital role in Palau. One of our main marine conservation programs is the Ngpatang Conservation Area. As part of our project, we completed numerous clam, fish, invertebrate, and coral surveys to figure out what types and how many inhabited the area. By studying and analyzing the data collected from those surveys, we were able to determine the health status of the environment and then make recommendations on the best plan to manage the conservation area to local officials

We are also working on a coral reef restoration project. The coral reefs of Palau are home to countless fish species and attract tourists from around the world so it is essential that the coral reefs remain in a healthy state. Unfortunately many of the reefs have been destroyed or killed due to the harmful effects of the last El NiNo and the coral predator, crown-of-thorns. To help restore the depleted reefs, NREED has initiated a new program where severed off sections of healthy coral are grown in a controlled environment and then placed in an area where the reef has been destroyed. Many types of corals are being tried to ensure bio-diversity in the reconstructed reef and to determine which corals are best suited for rebuilding the reefs. Hopefully results from this program will be able to help save Palau’s vital coral reef environment.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

As always, one of the primary goals of NREED is environmental education and awareness. It is critical to have an informed public in order that they will be able to make wiser decisions concerning their environment. To that end, we have been committed to getting out into the community to inform the public on many important environmental issues. We have released articles in the general media and organized meetings about the ecological benefits of coral and sponge farming. Through public presentations, community meetings and public forums, we alert the general public as well as private agencies as to the status of Palau’s natural environment.