NAGOYA, Japan — In a move designed to inspire other island states, including those of the Caribbean, Palau has declared its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) a sanctuary for marine mammals, including
dugongs and all whales and dolphins.

The pacific island's Minister of Environment, Harry Fritz made the announcement on Saturday at the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity summit being held in Nagoya, Japan.

"This (the declaration of the marine mammal sanctuary) will prohibit the deliberate hunting and harassment of any marine mammals. We urge other
countries to join our efforts to protect whales, dolphins and other
marine mammals for the sake of the species, as well as the future
economic, social and spiritual development of coastal peoples," the
minister said.

He was addressing a group of journalists at a media briefing at the Nagoya Conference Centre where the biodiversity deliberations
are ongoing.

"We look forward to working in collaboration with our partners on ensuring the overall long-term success of our marine mammal sanctuary,"
Fritz noted.

He added that protecting natural resources had long formed a part of Palau's tradition.

"Conservation of biodiversity is ingrained in our daily approach to life and inherent in the meaning of our words. From ancient times to today,
we have conserved our biodiversity through the tools of 'bul' or
moratoria, and protection of critical areas," he said. "Global threats
and their influence on our values have made us recognise the importance
of partnering and engaging internationally, including with the
Convention of Biological Diversity."

At the same time, he said there was no questioning the value of Palau's move to set up the sanctuary.

"The hunting of marine mammals, largely by foreign countries in the 19th and particularly the 20th centuries has dramatically reduced
populations in the Pacific Islands Region," he said.

"The International Whaling Commission has recognised that there is clear scientific evidence that in the Pacific Islands region many of the
great whale species remain severely depleted in numbers due to the
impact of past whaling. It is a very established scientific principle
that to protect migratory species it is necessary to protect them not
only in their feeding areas and migratory routes but also in their
breeding grounds," Fritz added.