“Alii” from Palau, my beautiful island home in the western Pacific Ocean.
We Palauans have been here for over 3,000 years, living in harmony with nature in our pristine paradise environment. Palau is home to just 20,000 people, but we are a large ocean state with more than 300 islands, covering an area the size of France. Some of our islands are coral atolls, others are volcanic, covered with hills, ancient forests and mangroves, all with beautiful beaches bordering the crystal-clear sea, which is alive with incredible, rare marine life.
But our home is now threatened by climate change. The climate crisis is causing sea levels to rise, and brings so much pollution to our shores. Plastics drift in from thousands of miles away, washing up on our beaches, threatening our marine life. Our precious soil is being washed away by increased rain, and in other seasons, new droughts are having a terrible impact on our fragile ecosystems.
We warmly welcome visitors who come to our beautiful country every year. We want them to enjoy Palau, but we need their help to protect our precious home and preserve it for future generations. But visitors don't always know how to protect Palau. They don't understand that stepping on coral can badly damage our reefs. Some corals take hundreds of years to regrow. They are sometimes careless and take protected species, or interact with nature in harmful ways.
That's why we introduced the Palau Pledge. When visitors come to Palau, they must all sign an environmental pledge, which is stamped into their passport as their visa. The pledge is a promise to the children of Palau to preserve and respect our home, our culture and heritage. We also hope that when they return home, visitors will share the idea of the pledge by practicing it at home and in their community.
Through our traditional chants, our elders have passed on that we do not inherit the land and waters from our ancestors. We borrow them from our children. That's what the Palau Pledge is about. And here it is.
“Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home. I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully. I shall not take what is not given. I shall not harm what does not harm me. The only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away."
