Island nation announces Mongolia-sized no kill zone for whales
and dolphins "Our traditional identity, values, legends, and
practices are intimately linked to our surroundings and to our
relationships with living creatures. Conservation of
biodiversity is ingrained in our daily approach to life and
inherent in the meaning of our words." - Harry Fritz, Palau's
minister of the environment, natural resources and tourism The
South Pacific island nation of Palau has declared all the waters
within its Exclusive Economic Zone to be a marine mammal
sanctuary for the protection of whales, dolphins, and dugongs.
Harry Fritz, Palau's minister of the environment, natural
resources and tourism, announced the new 600,000 square
kilometer (231,660 square mile) sanctuary on behalf of President
Johnson Toribiong at a news conference Saturday during Oceans
Day at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Nagoya.
"From ancient times to today we have conserved our biodiversity
through the tools of "bul" or moratoria, and