KOROR STATE GOVERNMENT MARINE TOUR GUIDE ... - C3

8.1 KOROR STATE ROCKS ISLANDS MANAGEMENT
The Traditional Leaders of Koror and the Koror State Government own and have
jurisdiction over the entire Rock Islands Southern Lagoon Area. They have appointed
the Koror State Public Lands Authority (KSPLA) and the Koror State Planning and
Zoning Commission to oversee all land and designate land use and zoning, respectively.
Both departments receive guidance from steering committees and a board consisting of
both traditional leaders and legislators, to ensure balanced representation of all issues.
The State’s Department of Conservation
and Law Enforcement is responsible for
running the Management Area and
enforcing State laws. The Koror State
Rangers was first established in 1989 to
enforce State curfew laws, and later
became the Department of Conservation
and Law Enforcement in 1994. In the 10
years that the department has been
established, it has, and continues to work
closely with a range of locally based
agencies and organizations on
management and research activities within
the Management Area. This has resulted in
The staff of the Koror State Department of
Conservation and Law Enforcement.
the development of State regulations on resource use and activities and designation of
protected areas within the Management Area.
National domestic fishing laws also apply to the Management Area and are enforced by
national enforcement officers at the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The State cannot
currently enforce national laws but is working to remedy this. Additional national
regulations that control access to specific areas in the Management Area have been
reinforced by State Law, and are thus enforced by the Rangers. This includes Palau’s
first protected area, the Ngerukuid Islands Wildlife Preserve, which was established by
the Trust Territory Government in 1956 and the State in 1999; and restrictions on fishing
in Ngerumekaol Spawning Area that were established by National Law in 1976 and
strengthened by State Law in 1999.
Long before modern conservation laws were developed, Palau’s resources were
managed by Traditional controls, such as bul (harvest restriction) and marine tenure.
Traditional authority is still equally authoritative within the Management Area, traditional
controls have been maintained and are the basis of many modern day conservation
initiatives. A Traditional Decree declared by the Ngarameketti Chiefs Council of Koror in
1973, still restricts harvesting of marine and terrestrial resources in the Rock Islands and
the surrounding waters in the Management Area.
Modern day conservation initiatives are supported by a range of State laws that regulate:
general resource use, recreational activities and designate protected areas within the
Management Area (see Table 1). The Year 2000 Rock Islands Management and
Conservation Act, which regulates recreational activities, provides much of the basis for
current management activities in the Management Area.
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