Palau to establish world's sixth-largest 'marine sanctuary' banning fishing and oil drilling

▲Palau (Photo / Palau Visitors Authority, the same applies below)

By Rita

According to Lonely Planet, the Palau archipelago, located east of the Philippines, is set to be approved as the world's sixth-largest marine sanctuary.

If this law is passed,80% of Palau's territory will become a protected area, and activities such as fishing and oil drilling will be banned within a 500,000 square meter zone; the remaining 20% will be reserved exclusively for fishing by Palauan citizens.Similarly, other countries such as Chile, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have also recently announced new marine parks.

▲The stunning underwater scenery of Palau.

Due to a surge in tourists from mainland China, the Palau government, which places great emphasis on ecological protection, announced earlier this year that it would reduce the number of flights from China.

President Tommy Remengesau pointed out that Palau is not discriminating against any country, but rather aiming to prevent the tourism industry from becoming overly reliant on a single market. "Are we going to control growth, or be controlled by growth? As a leader, if I allow this trend to continue, that would be irresponsible. As a leader, I look not just at the present, but at the future."

%寂晾椭??暮５姿?浮＜/strong>