Managers

Responsibility for national forest monitoring and development lies with the Forestry Department, a branch of the Agriculture Division under the Ministry of Resources and Development. The national government does not, however, own or directly manage forest lands. In general, responsibility for the management and conservation of natural resources, including forests, lies with the state governments. Around 65 percent of Palau¿s natural forest area is owned by state governments, with the remaining area under clan or private ownership. Only citizens of Palau and corporations wholly owned by citizens of Palau may acquire title to land in Palau. Foreigners may, however, lease land for up to 50 years.

The national government¿s primary environmental agency is the Environmental Quality Protection Board. This Board implements national environmental policies, regulates and monitors earth-moving and water quality impacting activities, and performs environmental impact assessments. The Bureau of Natural Resources and Development within the Ministry of Natural Resources is the government agency responsible for planning, coordinating and promulgating Palau¿s regulations relating to development and management of natural resources. Since 1981, Ngerukewid Islands Reserve has been administered by the Bureau of Resources and Development. The Division of Conservation and Entomology within the Bureau has a broad remit to prepare conservation programmes, pest control and entomological activities.

Public participation in forest management

Public participation in forest management in Palau is mainly a function of forest ownership. Approximately two-thirds of the natural forest (upland swamp, mangrove, etc) is owned by state governments. The other third is owned privately or by clans. Only nine of the 343 islands that make up Palau are inhabited, thus direct public participation in forest management on smaller islands is severely limited. On the large islands, land has traditionally belonged to the blai, a group larger than a family but smaller than a clan. Land (and forest cover) is administered by the head of the group.
last updated: Tuesday, November 24, 2009