Effectiveness and connectivity of Protected Areas Network (PAN) System in Palau

To enhance its efforts to protect its biodiversity and support local management, Palau established the Protected Areas Network in 2003. Currently, there are 14 MPAs within the PAN, covering 11.2% of Palau’s reef area. ... [ view full abstract ]

To enhance its efforts to protect its biodiversity and support local management, Palau established the Protected Areas Network in 2003. Currently, there are 14 MPAs within the PAN, covering 11.2% of Palau’s reef area.  Conditions of the MPA sites was assessed through ecological surveys, while connectivity among sites within the PAN was determined with hydrodynamic modelling.  Results indicate that the PAN network is effective, with fish biomass in the PAN sites being twice as much as the biomass in the reference sites.  An even greater distinction is seen among the top fish predators, whose biomass is five times greater inside the PAN sites than outside.  Overall, the PAN as a network has good connectivity.  However, it remains an incomplete system, due to a few gaps in the MPA network, where there are no established PAN sites.  Therefore, additional PAN sites are still needed to improve connectivity.  Factors that we identified to be contributors of PAN sites’ success include  (1) time of protection, (2) size of the MPA, (3) presence of high coral cover, (4) and distance from land.  While PAN network is generally effective, there remains several threats outside of the PAN sites, including climate change and pollution that affect the condition of Palau’s reefs, and ultimate success of the PAN.  Therefore, while efforts to ensure PAN’s success and effectiveness should continue, greater efforts must also be made to address non-site-specific threats, as well as to design the network to take climate change into account.