The PAN was established in 2003 to protect Palau’s rich biodiversity and to build resiliency to the impacts of climate change. In 2015, baseline ecological studies were conducted in the PAN Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to assess their effectiveness. While understanding the effectiveness of the PAN on Palau’s ecosystems is critical, it is also necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the PAN through the public’s perspective. In order to gauge the communities’ perception of these protected areas, PICRC began conducting socioeconomic baseline surveys to complement the ecological studies done in the state PAN sites.
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This month, PICRC released a new technical report titled “Socio-Economic Baseline Study in Ngatpang State.” The report highlights the Ngatpang community’s involvement in their designated PAN sites, their level of awareness and knowledge of the PAN and their overall perception of impacts from MPAs on their livelihoods.
PICRC researchers have completed surveying nine states and aim to complete baseline surveys for the remaining four states over the next two years. These studies provide valuable information that can assist policy makers in improving the PAN to better suit local communities and ensure success of the sites.
PICRC would like to offer thanks to all the volunteers and surveyors for their efforts on this study. More information on this report can be accessed through the PICRC website (picrc.org) under Research Publications and Technical Reports. Please contact Ines Kintoki at ikintoki@picrc.org for further questions or comments. [/restrict]