2000 years of sustainable use of watersheds and coral reefs in Pacific Islands: A review for Palau

Koshiba, Shirley; Besebes, Meked; Soaladaob, Kiblas; Ngiraingas, Madelsar; Isechal, Adelle L.; Victor, Steven; Golbuu, Yimnang

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2014.02.006

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Life on Babeldaob Island has been sustained for at least 1000 years, implying that the population have been able to survive and prosper with its main food source being the starch from taro fields and protein from reef fishes [26]. Land development due to human activities caused increased sediment runoff into the ocean and this, in turn, reduced coral cover biodiversity [27,28].…”

Section: Target Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This suggests that population growth in the form of self-supply could have brought about a large increase in sediment yield, but this did not actually occur. Both the land and the reef were important for food production and the sustainability of the reef fisheries must have required the reef to be sheltered from excessive soil erosion [26]. This ensured that the sediment yield remained low, as did the population.…”

Section: Efficiency and Sustainability Of Landresource Usementioning

confidence: 99%

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Efficiency and sustainability of land-resource use on a small island

Noda

Iida

Watanabe

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Land resources are essential for humans to survive, and different methods of land-resource use depend largely on the local natural context and society. Here we propose a method to assess landresource use in terms of efficiency and sustainability for three historical types of land-resource use in the Babeldaob Island, Republic of Palau: self-supply, resource development and nature conservation. Our proposed index of land-use efficiency makes comparisons possible among the types of landresource use, considering both the natural and social conditions; land-use efficiency increased in the order of self-supply, nature conservation and resource development. At the same time, sustainability of land-resource use corresponded to population growth; when the population density was less or more than 15 capita km −2 , self-supply and nature conservation were the most sustainable, respectively.

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Section: Target Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Efficiency and Sustainability Of Landresource Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Efficiency and sustainability of land-resource use on a small island

Noda

Iida

Watanabe

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…The nature and impact of past human interaction with Palau's marine environments varied across space (Clark 2005;Fitzpatrick & Kataoka 2005;Fitzpatrick et al 2011;Giovas et al 2010Giovas et al , 2016Koshiba et al 2014;Masse et al 2006;Ono & Clark 2012). For example, based on the changing taxonomic composition of the fish assemblage, Masse et al (2006) document an emphasis on inshore fishing areas in the prehistoric Rock Islands, with a shift over time from the use of droplines (suitable for squirrelfish (Holocentridae), snapper (Lutjanidae), sea breams (Monotaxidae) and emperorfish (Lethrinidae)) to the use of nets and basket traps (suitable for wrasses (Labridae) and porcupinefish (Diodontidae)).…”

Section: The Palauan Marine Environment and Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing prehistoric fishing zones in Palau, Micronesia using fish remains: A blind test of inter‐analyst correspondence

Giovas

Lambrides

Fitzpatrick

et al. 2016

Archaeology in Oceania

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Archaeologists routinely reconstruct the types of marine environments fished by past human societies in order to understand economic systems, foraging behaviour, maritime technology and seafaring abilities. These reconstructions are based on ecological data provided by archaeofish identifications, but can be problematic where coarse‐grained designations, such as inshore or pelagic, are used, or the influence of fish behaviour and life history traits on movement between habitats is overlooked. In tropical waters, intra‐family diversity complicates habitat reconstruction by precluding lower‐level taxonomic identifications that provide precise habitat information (e.g. surge channels, dropoffs). Consequently, a single generalised habitat may be imposed on fishes that could be caught in multiple environments, thereby eroding the reliability of fishing zone reconstructions. This study employs the archaeofish assemblage from Chelechol ra Orrak (c. 3000–0 BP), Palau to examine the analytical impact of these variables on fishing habitat reconstruction based on a blind assessment of taxon‐derived environmental data by two analysts. We assesses how analysts’ variable decision protocols for the handling of imprecise environmental data impact resulting habitat exploitation profiles. Our results address the issue of spatial resolution in habitat information gleaned from fish assemblages like Orrak's, with important implications for the interpretation of foraging practices and maritime adaptations.

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“…9, 10,13 Recent research in the archeology of water management has explored more complex issues such as the role of water in ritual and ideology, 16 and sustainable agricultural and landscape management practices. [17][18][19] Studies of ancient Maya water management practices, in particular, have received a resurgence of interest in the past decade, a result of studies revealing the previously unknown complexity of pre-Columbian water control features. 16,20,21 Among the more impressive and extensive studies of these are the large water reservoirs found in many of the large Maya centers found in the lowland rainforests of southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The scale and organization of ancient Maya water management

Wyatt

2014

WIREs Water

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The archaeological remains of ancient water storage and irrigation technologies are often prominent features on the landscape. Dams, canals, and irrigation ditches required great amounts of labor to build and maintain and are often associated with centralized, state‐level management. But these more visible features existed alongside smaller water management technologies that were often managed at the community or household level. In the Maya area in southern Mesoamerica, evidence of these ancient technologies is found in the form of small dams, reservoirs and other water storage features, wells, irrigation canals, and agricultural terraces. A review of the literature reveals that these technologies are ubiquitous in the Maya area during the period from the Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic (400 B.C. to A.D. 1000) when the ancient Maya civilization reached its peak of population and political complexity. Small‐scale water management technologies inform us both how the ancient Maya utilized and managed their resources, and also provide insight into political and social organization. WIREs Water 2014, 1:449–467. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1042 This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water Human Water > Water Governance

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2000 years of sustainable use of watersheds and coral reefs in Pacific Islands: A review for Palau

Cited by 16 publications

References 6 publications

Efficiency and sustainability of land-resource use on a small island

Efficiency and sustainability of land-resource use on a small island

Reconstructing prehistoric fishing zones in Palau, Micronesia using fish remains: A blind test of inter‐analyst correspondence

The scale and organization of ancient Maya water management

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