For three days, environmental specialists and marine enforcement officers from Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Marshall Islands got together to talk and learn about different environmental strategies and implementations and how to address environmental violations.
Titled “Principles of Environmental Compliance and Enforcement,” the workshop aimed to help participants develop their own management approaches to environmental problems, draft enforceable requirements, design unique compliance strategies and enforcement programs.
According to Davis Jones, International Training Coordinator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Palau already has a good body of Environmental regulations. ”This workshop is more on implementing the regulations and getting the word out,” Jones shared.
Jones said the first day of the course was all about the theory and design of a comprehensive compliance program. “The second and third day revolved around applying those theories,” he said.
The participants also worked on a case study involving different environmental problems that occur in places like Palau in relation to their tourism industry.
“We trace through different components, from setting priorities to deciding how to allocate your resources, designing possible strategies, responding to violators, and evaluating the effectiveness of the program,” explained Jones.
Jones added that although he is not an expert on the situation in Palau, he said that based on his observations on the tremendous draw for tourism of the country, Palau needs to control the tourism development in such a way that it will not disturb the ecosystem.
“If you build big hotels and cut down mangroves and destroy the reefs, then the tourists are not gonna come and stay,” said Jones. “It’s all about controlling that growth.”
Portia Franz, Executive Director of Environmental Quality Protection Board said, the workshop is also in line with their Erosion Control Training which was held last week.
“We just review how to properly enforce the regulations, how to negotiate if there’s violations with the requirements at the same time meet the need of the contractors to continue with the development,” explained Franz.
