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The Man With The Keys To Palau
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: Heneage Mitchell
Date: 1999-09-30
 


We want the fish to outnumber the divers, not the other way around?

Adalbert Eledui holds the keys to Palau?s fantastic marine treasures. A polite, firm man. he?s in charge of most of

Palau?s dive and kayaking sites.

A dedicated environmentalist and a renowned angler, Adalbert is also mindful of the problems Palau is facing as it

learns to cope with the demands tourism puts on this tiny island society.

Not all Palauans are convinced they actually need tourists.

Palau is liberally endowed with many foreign government grants and and there are certainly conflicts of interest

between local fishermen and tour operators over the use and management of many of Palau?s marine resources.

However, tourists continue to arrive by the planeload to enjoy the diving, fishing, kayaking and bio-tourism

opportunities.

Adalbert?s job is therefore part policeman, part diplomat, part environmentalist (his official title is Director of

Conservation and Law Enforcement).

He is proud of the biodegradable sanitation facilities he has had installed at the Rock Islands.

He is saddened by tales of destruction and damage to Palau?s mostly pristine reefs.

Adalbert?s tiny office gets its budget from the US$15 permit fee charged to divers and kayakers. With this income,

he has hired several full-time wardens whose task it is to patrol the area.

He has also taken on a number of ?problem? youths from around the islands. These workers are dropped on different

rock islands in the morning and picked up at the end of the day. Their job is to collect garbage and detritus and to

observe and report on any unusual or interesting happenings.

In this way, the benefits of tourism are seen to be filtering down to needy areas of the local community.

Currently, Adalbert is only allowing visiting kayakers, divers and snorkelers access to five of the hundred or so Rock

Islands.

He would prefer the local tour operators establish their own environmental guidelines and demonstrate that they can

self-police themselves effectively rather than creating additional laws and regulations.

When he sees proof of this, he may consider opening up additional sites to tourists.

At the moment, Adalbert feels that there are some among the twenty-two or so operators in Palau that may not be

doing their best to protect and preserve the environment. He has concerns that safety may also be compromised at

some of the Dive Centers, and is seeking to establish a Code of Conduct and Safety Regulations for operators.

Adalbert points out that, despite the huge reef systems that surround the main islands of Palau, only 30 or so sites

are actually visited, the most common being the Blue Hole and Blue Corner. He is anxious to avoid the pitfalls that

Bali and other popular areas have encountered through unrestricted access to popular dive sites. Specifically, he is

keen to avoid swamping the dive sites with dozens of divers at the same time.

?We want the fish to outnumber the divers, not the other way around?, he explains.

Visitors are advised to pick up the Koror State Water Regulation pamphlet, prepared by Adalbert, in which they will

find concise guidelines to the do?s and don?ts of watersports around Palau.
 

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