Keeping up with the Remengesaus

When it comes to marine conservation, it is not the Joneses we should be chasing, but rather President Tommy Remengesau Jr., leader of the tiny island nation of Palau. President Remengesau called for his nation and the rest of Micronesia to protect 30% of their coastal waters from fishing, and Palau is already reaping the benefits in terms of productive fisheries and vibrant dive sites for tourists. By contrast, less than 1% of coastal waters in the United States have been similarly protected. As a nation built first as a maritime economy and culture, and now the world’s foremost scientific nation and the cradle of modern environmentalism (going back before Teddy Roosevelt and continuing through Al Gore today), it is more than a little embarrassing for the United States to be lagging behind such a small developing nation on this front.

A word of warning here in only my second post: You will not read many kind words from me about President George W. Bush in this space. But my first comment about W will in fact be kind. Last year, the President created the world’s largest marine sanctuary when he designated the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as a national monument. That was a bold, ambitious and laudable action that, coupled with the network of marine protected areas at California’s Channel Islands, represents an important precedent and step toward more strategic, effective, and conservation-minded management of marine species and habitats in the U.S.

I could write pages on the utility and limitations of marine reserves, and the state of both the science and politics associated with their creation. But I won’t do that...yet (although I have actually written a fair bit on the subject, such as this, this and this). For now, I just wanted to acknowledge the small country in the South Pacific for proving to be a world leader in marine conservation. Kudos, Palau!