Palau

Oceanía

134

Documented species

Parks and reserves

Dive sites

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Palau is a western Pacific archipelago famous for its Rock Islands, hundreds of limestone mounds covered in forest and undercut at the base by erosion, which rise from a turquoise lagoon and form one of the most recognisable seascapes on the planet. Its reefs, on the edge of the Coral Triangle, bring together more than one thousand three hundred fish species and around five hundred of coral, with current-swept channels where grey reef sharks, trevally and mantas gather. Among the islands hide dozens of marine lakes, saltwater basins isolated from the ocean for millennia in which life has evolved separately. The country has made the protection of the sea a matter of state policy and a mark of identity.

The nature of Palau

National animal: No official national animal; the Palau fruit dove is the country's emblematic bird

Did you know?

In one of those isolated lakes live millions of golden jellyfish that cross the basin every day from east to west, following the path of the sun. They do it not in search of food but of light: they carry symbiotic algae in their tissues that need sunlight to photosynthesise and feed the jellyfish. Having lived without predators for thousands of years, their sting has become so weak that it is barely perceptible to human skin.

Biodiversity profile

MicronesiaDato no disponible con precision agregada del territorio terrestre; el Santuario Nacional Marino de Palau protege el 80% de su zona economica exclusiva (una de las mayores reservas marinas del mundo)

Climate

•Tropical de selva lluviosa (Af), calido y humedo con lluvias todo el año

Main biomes

•Selva tropical densa (isla de Babeldaob)
•Sabanas
•Manglares costeros
•Arrecife del Triángulo de Coral
•Lago marino aislado
•Isla caliza cubierta de selva
•Laguna coralina
•Manglar costero
•Canal de corriente
•Pared oceánica

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Laguna Meridional de las Islas Rocosas (Patrimonio Mundial UNESCO)
•Mas de 1.500 especies de peces y 400 especies de coral registradas
•Arrecifes entre los mas vibrantes del mundo, aunque con perdida documentada de al menos un tercio por eventos de blanqueamiento

Flagship wildlife

•Tortuga carey y verde
•Manta raya
•Tiburones de arrecife
•Murcielago fructivoro de Palau
•Cocodrilo marino
•Medusa dorada
•Tiburón gris de arrecife
•Manta de arrecife
•Nautilo
•Dugongo
•Tortuga carey
•Paloma frugívora de Palaos
•Pez napoleón
•Megápodo de Micronesia

Notable endemic species

•10 de 149 especies de aves registradas son endemicas
•Rana arboricola de Palau
•Geco micronesio
•Paloma terrestre de Palau
•Medusa dorada del lago
•Paloma frugívora de Palaos
•Curruca de Palaos
•Cárabo de Palaos

Notable threatened species

•3 especies de aves de estatus globalmente amenazado
•Corales sensibles al calor en arrecifes exteriores (en contraste con linajes termotolerantes identificados en las Islas Rocosas)

Notable protected areas

•Laguna Meridional de las Islas Rocosas (Patrimonio Mundial)
•Santuario Nacional Marino de Palau
•Islas Roca del Sur de la Laguna
•Lago de las Medusas
•Canal Azul y Ngemelis
•Santuario Marino Nacional de Palaos
•Arrecife de Blue Corner
•Isla de Peleliu

Main conservation threats

•Cambio climatico y blanqueamiento coralino (perdida de al menos 1/3 de los arrecifes)
•Subida del nivel del mar (el propio gobierno elevo el tema ante la ONU en 2008)
•Presion turistica en zonas de alta visitacion

Notable natural phenomena

•Identificacion cientifica reciente de corales termotolerantes en las Islas Rocosas, relevante como posible fuente de resiliencia climatica regional

Conservation

Palau created the world's first national shark sanctuary in 2009, banning shark fishing throughout its exclusive economic zone, and in 2015 approved a marine sanctuary closing most of its waters to commercial fishing. Every visitor must sign an environmental pledge printed in their passport on arrival.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Blue Corner and Ngemelis year-round for sharks and mantas. Jellyfish Lake subject to the species' population cycles. The Rock Islands for seabirds and nautiluses.

Sources: BioDB.com - Palau | Wikipedia - Environment of Palau | Estudio PMC sobre corales termotolerantes de Palau

Savanna Rainforest Ocean

Parks and reserves

Protected Area

Islas Rocosas del Sur de la Laguna

Hundreds of mushroom-shaped limestone islands in a turquoise lagoon, with marine lakes full of stingless jellyfish.

View park Marine National Park

Rock Islands of Palau

More than 400 limestone islets under thick vegetation, with a marine lake where you can swim among millions of stingless jellyfish

View park Strict Nature Reserve

Ngerukewid Islands

Palau's first strictly protected nature reserve, declared by the American trusteeship administration in 1956, with access forbidden except by special research permit

View park

Diving and snorkelling

Wall/Current

Blue Corner

A triangular spur of the barrier reef, its walls stepping down towards the Pacific, that looks like a submerged peninsula. At the corner the open-ocean currents collide and concentrate a density of life that is hard to match. The technique defines the site: divers hook onto the coral ledge with a reef hook, at around 15-18 m, and watch the spectacle with their hands free.

View dive site Cleaning station