As part of PICRC and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Phase 2 Project called “Capacity Enhancement Project for Coral Reef Monitoring (CEPCFM), PICRC has selected Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngiwal, Ngchesar and Peleliu States to be its pilot MPAs to help them develop their own management plan and to qualify to be an official PAN site.
The governors of each of the five states, namely Peleliu Gov. Kangichi Uchau, Ngchesar Gov. Romana Anastacio, Ngiwal Gov. Masasinge Arurang, Ngarchelong Gov. Browny Salvador and Ngardmau Gov. Akiko Sugiyama, signed the Memorandum of Understanding with PICRC on Friday. Training of the States’ officers for monitoring started on May 17.
“These States need to develop themselves and they have to have a complete management plant so they can be eligible for the green fee fund,” said Dr. Patrick Tellei, Chairman, Board of Directors of PICRC.
Tourists who visit Palau pay additional $15 departure tax to cover the environmental protection green fee. The money generated from the green fee tax is earmarked for the operation of the Protected Areas Network (PAN) Act.
“What these States is lacking is monitoring,” said Tellei about the five MPA sites. “They must be able to monitor the MPA site. And PICRC is here to provide the training,” said Tellei.
According to Carol Emaurois, Head of Environmental Education/PR Department of PICRC, they will be training the officers of each of the five States on fish counting, fish and coral reef monitoring, sedimentation and socio-economic indicators.
“Basically, we train them so they can do their own monitoring at their sites and eventually develop their own management plan to be qualified to become a PAN site,” explained Emaurois.
