Palau Conservation Society Marks Three Decades of Environmental Leadership

By: Summer Kennard

KOROR, Palau — For more than 30 years, the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) has stood at the forefront of Palau’s environmental protection movement, balancing traditional stewardship with modern conservation science.

Established in June 1994 by ten founders during a period of rapid development, PCS emerged as Palau’s first environmental non-governmental organization. “At that time, the Compact Road was being built and development was starting, so they created PCS to be like a community eye toward the new developments coming to Palau,” said Executive Director Elbuchel Sadang.

From its early days tackling issues such as unsustainable fishing and unregulated land development, PCS has grown into a professional organization that guides community-based conservation across Palau. It now operates four core programs — Administration, Policy and Planning, Conservation Protected Area, and Communications and Outreach — with nine staff members and an annual operating budget exceeding $700,000. Over the past decade, the organization has also built a trust fund valued at about $1.1 million to support long-term sustainability.

From grassroots action to policy leadership

While PCS began with hands-on fieldwork, Sadang said its role has evolved toward policy development, training, and technical support for states. “Before, our work was all by hand on the ground,” he said. “Now we train and work with all the states on conservation areas, so they can also have a chance at getting funds to support their programs.”

One of PCS’s most significant achievements was helping pass the Protected Areas Network (PAN) law in 2003. The law, later supported through an environmental fee collected from visitors, created a sustainable funding mechanism for states managing conservation areas. PCS assisted 15 states in developing five-year management plans that enabled them to access PAN funds.

Addressing today’s environmental threats

Despite progress, PCS continues to face enduring challenges such as sedimentation, sea pollution, and invasive species. Through the KIWA Initiative, the organization recently helped secure more than $400,000 to strengthen nature-based solutions in ten Babeldaob states.

During Typhoon Haiyan, PCS partnered with the Bureau of Agriculture and Kayangel State to restore local tree species that were wiped out by the storm and to eliminate invasive plants. The organization is now expanding its efforts into biosecurity, seeking to prevent the spread of invasive species between islands such as Kayangel and Koror.

PCS also collaborates with the House of Delegates, the Governors Association, and numerous partners including WCTC, Surangel & Sons, the Micronesia Conservation Trust, the International Coral Reef Center, MAFE, One Reef, and Island Conservation.

Funding and relevance in a changing landscape

Like many NGOs, PCS faces resource limitations that affect the scale of its work. “We have a lot of requests or plans we want to do toward the different states, but it is limited by financing resources and also the number of staff,” Sadang said.

Since its founding, more than 20 organizations have entered Palau’s environmental space, making collaboration and innovation crucial to PCS’s continued relevance. “We stay relevant because we don’t implement our own policies,” Sadang said. “We implement the policies of the national government and must meet international guidelines and funding requirements.”

To strengthen ties with local partners, PCS continues its Corporate Partners for Conservation initiative, which connects businesses to conservation projects and promotes hands-on engagement. “It’s a chance for us to take our corporate partners out to the protected areas to show them where their money has been going and to strengthen our partnership,” Sadang said.

Looking ahead

As it celebrates more than three decades of service, PCS remains committed to bridging policy and practice — empowering communities, shaping national conservation policy, and sustaining Palau’s globally recognized reputation for environmental leadership.

Its upcoming annual gala will once again raise funds to sustain operations and grow its trust fund, ensuring PCS can continue to fulfill the mission envisioned by its founders in 1994: to keep Palau’s natural heritage protected for generations to come.

by visitors arriving in Palau. PCS helped 15 states prepare five-year management plans so they could access those funds.

Today, Sadang said the biggest environmental issues are sedimentation and sea pollution. PCS works with local communities to build capacity and connect them with resources, such as the KIWA Initiative, which provided more than $400,000 to help 10 Babeldaob states strengthen their nature-based solutions.

He also mentioned past efforts such as replanting local trees in Kayangel State after Typhoon Haiyan, in partnership with the Bureau of Agriculture and Kayangel State Government, to replace invasive species with native ones.

PCS is also focusing on biosecurity, looking for ways to reduce the movement of invasive species between Kayangel and Koror. The organization partners with the House of Delegates and the Governor’s Association to coordinate efforts across states.

Sadang said resources remain one of the biggest challenges. “We have a lot of requests and plans we want to do with the different states, but we are limited by financial resources and the number of staff,” he said.

PCS continues to stay active and relevant by working with national and international partners. “We don’t implement our own policies — we implement the national government’s policies,” he said. “We meet international guidelines, keep up with trainings, and make sure our finances follow accounting principles.”

PCS was once known mainly for creating no-take zones, but Sadang said the organization is now shifting its focus toward sustainability. “We want to see projects that have big outcomes and long-term change,” he said.