Conservation Decision-Making in Palau: An Example of the Parallel Working of Scientific and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Pilbeam, Victoria; Kerkhoff, Lorrae van; Weir, Tony

doi:10.1007/s00267-019-01213-3

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Indigenous organizations in particular have also influenced, in various degrees, decisionmaking processes around climate change (133,142), such as the addition of a Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform within the UNFCCC (143), and in raising concerns regarding payment mechanisms for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) (144). Additionally, some countries and subnational governments are adopting biocultural approaches to policy that recognize both Indigenous peoples and local communities in the formation of knowledge governance structures (145,146), such as comanagement institutions and changes to state laws to recognize customary rights in the context of forest management in Canada (147), changes to fisheries regulations in Palau (148), and ecocultural restoration initiatives with Māori communities in New Zealand/Aotearoa (137), among many others.…”

Section: Pathway 5: Playing Key Roles In Environmental Governance Across Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locally Based, Regionally Manifested, and Globally Relevant: Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Values, and Practices for Nature

Brondízio

Aumeeruddy‐Thomas

Bates

et al. 2021

Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.

153

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The knowledge, values, and practices of Indigenous peoples and local communities offer ways to understand and better address social-environmental problems. The article reviews the state of the literature on this topic by focusing on six pathways by which Indigenous peoples and local communities engage with management of and relationships to nature. These are ( a) undertaking territorial management practices and customary governance, ( b) contributing to nature conservation and restoration efforts with regional to global implications, ( c) co-constructing knowledge for assessments and monitoring, ( d) countering the drivers of unsustainable resource use and resisting environmental injustices, ( e) playing key roles in environmental governance across scales, and ( f ) offering alternative conceptualizations of the interrelations between people and nature. The review shows that through these pathways Indigenous peoples and local communities are making significant contributions to managing the health of local and regional ecosystems, to producing knowledge based in diverse values of nature, confronting societal pressures and environmental burdens, and leading and partnering in environmental governance. These contributions have local to global implications but have yet to be fully recognized in conservation and development polices, and by society at large. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Volume 46 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

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Section: Pathway 5: Playing Key Roles In Environmental Governance Across Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locally Based, Regionally Manifested, and Globally Relevant: Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Values, and Practices for Nature

Brondízio

Aumeeruddy‐Thomas

Bates

et al. 2021

Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.

153

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“…This has resulted in dramatic reductions in giant clam abundance and diversity across many reef communities (Apte & Dutta, 2010;Neo & Todd, 2012;Mecha & Dolorosa, 2020). Despite similar pressures in Palau, particularly considering the nearly fourfold increase in international tourism in the last decade (Roff et al, 2015;Golbuu et al, 2016;Carlisle & Gruby, 2019;Gouezo et al, 2019;Pilbeam, van Kerkhoff & Weir, 2019), our data do not suggest that giant clam populations have greatly suffered in the Palauan archipelago.…”

Section: Giant Clam Populations Across Palau's Reefsmentioning

confidence: 53%

Population structure of giant clams (subfamily: Tridacninae) across Palau: Implications for conservation

Rehm

Marino

Jonathan

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Giant clams (subfamily: Tridacninae) are an important food and economic resource for the Republic of Palau and the greater Indo-Pacific region. However, giant clam diversity and distribution data for Palau are out of date. 2. This study reports the species diversity and distribution of giant clams across the Palauan archipelago (total survey area of 3,300 2 m) from data collected between 2015-2017. 3. This is the first documented finding of Tridacna noae in Palau, however, it was rare. Only four individuals were found at only two locations. 4. Results show that Palau is home to a diverse and abundant population of giant clams. Tridacna crocea (an important food and economic resource) exhibited the highest abundance, with an average of 20.0 ± 2.9 individuals per 50 m 2 . Tridacna maxima and Tridacna squamosa were ranked next in abundance. In contrast, T. noae, Tridacna derasa, Tridacna gigas, and Hippopus hippopus were found in low numbers or only found in few locations.5. The density of all recruits, juveniles, and adult T. crocea and T. maxima did not differ significantly between conservation areas and open fishing sites, which suggests the possibility that ecological factors such as habitat loss, acute weather events, or changes in sea surface temperatures could be impacting replenishment or recruitment. However, one protected area was found to have a higher abundance of T. crocea recruits and adults, which suggests that protection from fishing may have increased recruitment rates and lowered mortality rates at this site.6. Taken as a whole, clam populations in Palau remain reasonably abundant and healthy. As demand for giant clams continues to rise in Palau and the region, local regulations should focus on sustainable fishing practices by establishing size limits, species bans, and long-term monitoring plans to maintain the diverse populations of giant clams found there.

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“…Historically, Palauans have subscribed to a sacred and traditional form of conservation management known as bul, in which the council of chiefs (klobak) enact official moratoria on resource use for both land and sea (40,73,74). These restrictions cover hunting, fishing, collecting betelnut, cutting of timber for fuel and construction, and many other activities in specific areas to ensure that resources can be harvested when needed; this also includes seasonal restrictions (e.g., harvesting certain species of nearshore fish only during stormier months when offshore fishing is too dangerous).…”

Section: Archaeological and Ecological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical islands of the Anthropocene: Deep histories of anthropogenic terrestrial–marine entanglement in the Pacific and Caribbean

Fitzpatrick

Giovas

2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Islands are useful model systems for examining human–environmental interactions. While many anthropogenic effects visible in the archaeological and paleoecological records are terrestrial in nature (e.g., clearance of tropical forests for agriculture and settlement; introduction of nonnative flora and fauna), native peoples also relied heavily on marine environments for their subsistence and livelihood. Here we use two island case studies—Palau (Micronesia) and the Lesser Antilles (Caribbean)—and approach their long-term settlement history through a “ridge-to-reef” perspective to assess the role that human activity played in land- and seascape change over deep time. In particular, we examine the entanglement of terrestrial and marine ecosystems resulting from anthropogenic effects and cultural responses to socio-environmental feedback. We suggest that on the humanized tropical islands of the Anthropocene, mangroves, near shore and littoral areas, and coral reefs were major sites of terrestrial–marine interface chronicling and modulating anthropogenic effects.

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Conservation Decision-Making in Palau: An Example of the Parallel Working of Scientific and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Cited by 13 publications

References 35 publications

Locally Based, Regionally Manifested, and Globally Relevant: Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Values, and Practices for Nature

Locally Based, Regionally Manifested, and Globally Relevant: Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Values, and Practices for Nature

Population structure of giant clams (subfamily: Tridacninae) across Palau: Implications for conservation

Tropical islands of the Anthropocene: Deep histories of anthropogenic terrestrial–marine entanglement in the Pacific and Caribbean

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