Dear President Remengesau,

As Palauan nationals, who understand that the prosperity of our country and its people depend on the ocean, we applaud the Republic of Palau for its continued commitment to ocean conservation through the establishment of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary as proposed in Senate Bill No. 9-30.

We understand that our ocean is a global ocean.With an increasingly unbalanced environment, threats such as overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change are driving dramatic changes in the ocean. For centuries, Palauans have lived in harmony with our environment, protecting key species and critical habitat when needed through the traditional
bul. True to our values and traditions, Palau has taken bold and necessary action to implement the bul on a larger scale through the establishment
of its near-shore Protected Area Network, an innovative mechanism to protect
the nation's critical resources, and an integral part of the Micronesia
Challenge, the Pacific region's first coordinated conservation effort. Palau
also created the world's first shark sanctuary, a visionary measure that
recognized the importance of these top predators to a healthy and resilient
ocean.

With its intent to establish the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, our country is showing leadership once again. The sanctuary would protect 80 percent of Palau's waters and create a domestic fishing zone reserved for traditional practices and a small-scale local commercial fishery. The sanctuary would also provide an opportunity to strengthen monitoring and enforcement, where new technologies and increased capacity would deter illegal fishing. By safeguarding the diverse and unique marine life of Palau, supporting
local food security, and fostering the driving force of the country's economy –
tourism, the sanctuary proves that local needs and the health of our marine
environment take priority over an industrial fishing industry that exports most
of its catch.

Palau's establishment of this sanctuary is a visionary action for our nation, our region, and the world. We know that this effort will serve as an important and much-need step to protect our ocean for this and future generations of Palauans.

Sincerely,