Palau Announces Massive Marine Sanctuary
One of Japan's closest allies declared over the weekend that all of its oceans - more than 600,000 square kilometres - would be a sanctuary for whales, dolphins, dugongs, sharks and other species. 'There will be no hunting or harassment of marine mammals and other species in our waters,' said the Honourable Harry Fritz, minister of the environment, natural resources and tourism of the Republic of Palau.
'We urge other nations to join our efforts to protect whales, dolphins and other marine animals,' Fritz said at a press conference during Oceans Day at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. Japan has long sought to overturn the global ban on commercial whaling and has actively solicited and received Palau's support for many years. Japan is its second largest source of development aid after the United States. Japanese tourists frequent the islands since many people speak some Japanese.
'Palau now supports conserving marine mammals, along with sharks and other species,' said Susan Lieberman, director of international policy for the Pew Environment Group, a large U.S. NGO. 'This is a very significant announcement,' Lieberman told IPS. 'Japan remains our very good friend, and we would like to work in harmony to achieve what we both want,' said Fritz.
One of the world's smallest nations, with 22,000 people, Palau is an island in the Pacific Ocean, some 800 kms east of the Philippines and 3,200 kms south of Tokyo. Japan occupied Palau after World War I and Japanese immigration was encouraged until World War II when the U.S. occupied the region.
A year ago at the United Nations General Assembly, Palau's President Johnson Toribiong announced that the waters in its economic zone, about the size of France, would be a shark sanctuary. Scientists have said about half of the world's oceanic sharks are at risk of extinction, mainly due to the practice of catching them for their fins.
© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service
Where next?
Browse related news topics:
Read the latest news stories:
- Trump, Democracy and the U.S. Constitution Friday, March 14, 2025
- Is UN in Danger of Losing its Battle for Gender Equality? Friday, March 14, 2025
- No food deliveries to Gaza as border closures continue Friday, March 14, 2025
- World News in Brief: Fresh fighting in eastern DR Congo, global trade update, elections in CAR, Pakistan train hijack Friday, March 14, 2025
- Reject bigotry and discrimination, UN chief says, urging everyone to combat Islamophobia Friday, March 14, 2025
- Iran protests: Human Rights Council probe condemns online, app-based repression Friday, March 14, 2025
- In Bangladesh, UN chief vows to prevent Rohingya suffering as aid cuts loom Friday, March 14, 2025
- Women and Girls in Afghanistan Bear the Brunt of the Country’s Crisis Thursday, March 13, 2025
- Activists Fear Kenya Forests Threatened Due to Government Development Thursday, March 13, 2025
- Trashing Jewish Values Risks Israel’s Survival as We Know It Thursday, March 13, 2025
Learn more about the related issues: