Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Lighthouse
Village
Church
Taro
Gardens
N
Ngeaur
One km
Figure 10.2. Map of Ngeaur Island.
Palauans are justifiably proud of their environmental heritage and are intim-
ately concerned with preserving their unique flora and fauna. Article VI of
the Palaun Constitution, for example, calls for the “conservation of a beau-
tiful, healthful, and resourceful natural environment” and one of the govern-
ment's eight ministries is the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment,
and Tourism. The famous Rock Islands, enclosed by a barrier reef that makes
up most of the archipelago's hundreds of islands is protected by many agen-
cies and regulations. The Bureau of Marine Resources is one such agency that
regulates and restricts harvesting and collecting of fish, sponges, and corals.
The non-profit group CEDAM (Conservation, Education, Diving, Awareness
and Marine Research) declared the reefs of Palau as one of the seven under-
water wonders of the world in 1989. The Rock Islands are in the process of
being nominated to the United Nation's World Heritage listing (Marsh, 2009 ).
The community in Ngeaur and its' local government have shown some interest
in understanding the monkeys in many ways, including funding and training
students in primatological research (Marsh-Kautz and Wheatley, 2004 ). The
national and state governments, however, have also repeatedly attempted to
control the monkeys, including eradication.
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