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style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU eEzcu lZur juYBC ojLEP WlLQR CpeIY MDuRg eNowr Rpfon EVmkM yjjwF " data-testid="prism-caption"><div class="HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul "><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">The only human residents on Helen Island, a narrow sandbar at the northern edge of the atoll, are the rangers stationed there to protect its wildlife. Hotsarihie is collectively owned by the people on the nearby island of Hatohobei.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></header></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main "><div class="VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><div style="--spacing-top:40px;--spacing-bottom:0px;--spacing-child-top:initial;--spacing-child-bottom:24px;--spacing-firstChild-top:initial;--spacing-firstChild-bottom:initial;--spacing-lastChild-top:initial;--spacing-lastChild-bottom:24px;--spacing-compact-top:24px;--spacing-compact-bottom:0px;--spacing-firstChild-compact-top:initial;--spacing-firstChild-compact-bottom:initial;--spacing-child-compact-top:initial;--spacing-child-compact-bottom:24px;--spacing-lastChild-compact-top:initial;--spacing-lastChild-compact-bottom:24px" class="dHdHP jLREf zXXje aGO eCClZ nTLv jLsYA gmuro TOSFd VmeZt sCkVm hkQai wGrlE MUuGM fciaN qQjt DhNVo Tgcqk IGLAf tWjkv "><div class="QHblV nkdHX mHUQ kvZxL hTosT whbOj " data-testid="prism-byline"><div class="VZTD mLASH BQWr OcxMG oJce "><div class="kKfXc ubAkB VZTD rEPuv "><div class="TQPvQ fVlAg HUcap kxY REjk UamUc WxHIR HhZOB yaUf VOJBn KMpjV XSbaH Umfib ukdDD "><span class="tChGB zbFav ">By</span><span>Gleb Raygorodetsky</span></div><div class="TQPvQ fVlAg HUcap kxY REjk UamUc WxHIR HhZOB yaUf VOJBn KMpjV XSbaH Umfib ukdDD "><span class="tChGB zbFav ">Photographs by</span><span>Kiliii Yüyan</span></div><div class="VZTD mLASH gpiba "><div class="jTKbV zIIsP ZdbeE xAPpq QtiLO JQYD ">June 28, 2024</div></div></div></div><div class="RwkLV Wowzl FokqZ LhXlJ FjRYD toBqx " data-testid="prism-share"><div class="JpUfa aYoBt "><ul class="MZaCt dUXCH nyWZo RnMws Hdwln WBHfo tAchw UDeQM XMkl NUfbq kqfZ "><li class="WEJto "><button aria-label="Share Story on Facebook" class="theme-EWITS mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf ZXRVe jIRH NoTgg CKnnA uklrk nCmVc qWWFI nMRSd YIauu gGlNh ARCOA kyjTO xqlN aANqO aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo UVTAB ihLsD niWVk AAqU fctVp ENhiS kCffO kOEGk WMbJE eVJEc TElCQ ZAqMY enocc pJSQ ABRfR aaksc OKklU ATKRo RfOGv neOGk fuOso DwqSE fnpin ArvQf dUniT Mzjkf Niff NKnwO ijAAn dEuPM vwJ JmUFf sgyq cRbVn sBVbK fCfdG oMkBz aOwuK XsORH EgRXa hMVHb LTwlP jJbTO CnYjj TiUFI qeCAC xqvdn JaQpT dAfv PNgfG fIWCu NewES UJNbG EgBCK UvFHa 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style="--spacing-top:0px;--spacing-bottom:32px;--spacing-child-top:initial;--spacing-child-bottom:24px;--spacing-firstChild-top:initial;--spacing-firstChild-bottom:24px;--spacing-lastChild-top:initial;--spacing-lastChild-bottom:initial;--spacing-compact-top:24px;--spacing-compact-bottom:32px;--spacing-firstChild-compact-top:initial;--spacing-firstChild-compact-bottom:24px;--spacing-child-compact-top:initial;--spacing-child-compact-bottom:24px;--spacing-lastChild-compact-top:initial;--spacing-lastChild-compact-bottom:initial" class="dHdHP jLREf zXXje aGO eCClZ nTLv jLsYA gmuro TOSFd VmeZt sCkVm hkQai wGrlE MUuGM fciaN qQjt DhNVo Tgcqk IGLAf tWjkv "><div class="PrismArticleBody SingleColumn xvlfx ZRifP TKoO eaKKC EcdEg bOdfO qXhdi NFNeu UyHES " data-testid="prism-article-body"><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC "><b class="cXscX ">On a clear morning in December 2020</b>, at the southwestern edge of the <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/palau" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Palau archipelago</a>, rangers from the Helen Reef Resource Management Program were starting their day, tidying up around their station and checking spearguns for afternoon fishing, when they heard a motor and soon spotted an unknown vessel. This could only mean trouble. They would have been notified about a legitimate craft coming to Hotsarihie, as Helen Reef is known to the Hatohobei people, the traditional stewards of the area.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“That boat was coming in with a lot of goods,” recalled Petra Tkel, a conservation officer—or ranger, as the program staff call themselves—whose mother comes from Hatohobei, an island 40 miles west of the reef. It was part of a small fleet of six motorboats from a Chinese vessel poaching sea cucumbers that could fetch up to $800 a pound in Hong Kong.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">When one boat approached the rangers’ station on Helen Island, a sandbar at the northern edge of the reef, the team communicated through hand gestures for the illegal fishermen to return to their ship and wait for further instruction. “I was scared,” Tkel said. “That was my first time encountering poachers.” She slipped away and made a call by satellite phone to the program manager in Koror, Palau’s largest city. Help was on the way, but it would take a couple of days to dispatch a Marine Law Enforcement boat across the 350 miles of open ocean. The rangers—who are not permitted to board foreign vessels for their own safety—would have to stall the poachers.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div><div class="InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW " data-testid="prism-inline-image"><figure class="kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO " data-testid="prism-figure"><div class="GpQCA lZur gIjeL " data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><div class="lZur TmzDJ bmjsw " data-testid="prism-copyright-wrapper"><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 374px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=374&h=249, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=748&h=498 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 375px) and (max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=413&h=275, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=826&h=550 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=767&h=511, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1534&h=1022 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1024&h=683, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=2048&h=1366 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1440px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1260&h=840, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=2520&h=1680 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1441px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1440&h=960, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=2880&h=1920 2x"/><img alt="Framed by the shade of a hanging tree, a Blacktip reef shark, approximately 3 to 4 feet long, is lit by reflections of the sun on the water's surface as it swims alongside other sharks and fish." class="hsDdd vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI UbGlr " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg" id="Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Shark Underwater Tree"/></picture></div></div></div><button aria-label="Open Fullscreen" class="mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf XbEWk jIRH nkbp OJpwZ hUQGO wSPfd ofvJb lIDy YIauu gGlNh ARCOA kyjTO xqlN gWRci aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo UVTAB hswTp sXtkB AAqU fctVp ENhiS xjUSk NatTH NqeUA dZTKY QMxMQ LpcJi wardV kcRqD fhCRd MYLFX RkJsE iEOQC yaNWn ZUpvj HoXXr " data-testid="prism-ImageViewer_ExpandButton" type="button"><span class="CSJky pdAzW JSFPu "><svg aria-hidden="true" class=" " data-testid="prism-iconography" height="1em" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 48 48" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" data-icon="view-fullscreenEnter"><path fill="currentColor" d="M6.48 11.24V16h3.04V9.52H16V6.48H6.48v4.76M32 8v1.52h6.48V16h3.04V6.48H32V8M6.48 36.76v4.76H16v-3.04H9.52V32H6.48v4.76m32-1.52v3.24H32v3.04h9.52V32h-3.04v3.24"/></svg></span></button><figcaption><div class="VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur " data-testid="prism-caption"><div class="HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul "><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Blacktip reef sharks swim in Rock Islands Southern Lagoon. An archipelago, Palau was the first country to create a shark haven, in 2009. Later it established the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, which prohibits fishing and mining in most of its waters.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The fishermen later came back with rice, beer, and $20,000 cash, plus the promise of wiring an additional $30,000. Split evenly among the team, the total bribe amounted to a ranger’s annual salary. The poachers had assumed their money would work. But for Hercules Emilio, the team’s senior conservation officer, rejecting the money was a no-brainer. “We understand at the end of the day, we’re doing it for our people, for the future generation,” said Emilio, who grew up on Hatohobei, also called Tobi Island, when he was young.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Chinese poachers brought their main vessel through the channel into the sheltered waters of the reef’s lagoon and sent divers down to plunder. They kept offering the money and goods, but the rangers remained steadfast.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div class="natgeo-ad" data-testid="prism-ad-wrapper" style="min-width:728px;min-height:90px;transition:min-height 0.3s linear 0s" data-ad-placeholder="true"><div data-box-type="fitt-adbox-fitt-article-inline-outstream" data-testid="prism-ad"><div class="Ad fitt-article-inline-outstream ad-slot " data-slot-type="fitt-article-inline-outstream" data-slot-kvps="pos=fitt-article-inline-outstream-1"></div></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Finally, with air and sea support from the U.S. Coast Guard, the patrol boat arrived from Koror on the third day and blocked the channel, trapping the Chinese vessel inside the lagoon. Officers boarded the ship and detained its crew of 28, seizing cash, motorboats, fishing gear, and 500 pounds of illegally harvested sea cucumbers.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">(<a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150612-palau-burns-illegal-fishing-boats-pirate-poaching-marine-conservation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class=" ">Palau burned boats to deter illegal fishing.</i></a>)</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“I am so proud of our rangers,” said Rosania Victor, the program’s manager, in a video about the incident. “For the sacrifices they made in manning the remote station away from their families. For their bravery in intercepting an illegal fishing vessel using their experience and tactics from their trainings. And for having the integrity to refuse the bribes.”</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div><figure class="kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO " data-testid="prism-figure"><div class="Kiog gTIDq DtvAy ZcEtc IRwwZ "><div class="lZur asrEW "><figure class="kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO " data-testid="prism-figure"><div class="GpQCA lZur " style="padding-bottom:150.03663003663004%" data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><div class="lZur TmzDJ bmjsw " data-testid="prism-copyright-wrapper"><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 374px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=374&h=561, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=748&h=1122 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 375px) and (max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=413&h=620, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=826&h=1240 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=767&h=1151, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1534&h=2302 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1024&h=1536, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=2048&h=3072 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1440px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1260&h=1890, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=2520&h=3780 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1441px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1440&h=2161, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=2880&h=4322 2x"/><img alt="Three conservation officers, also known as rangers, stand proudly on the grass framing the waters behind them— one ranger front and center and the other two behind each shoulder." class="hsDdd bmjsw TmzDJ DXqUA UMBA UbGlr " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg"/></picture></div></div></div><button aria-label="Open Fullscreen" class="mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf XbEWk jIRH nkbp OJpwZ hUQGO wSPfd ofvJb lIDy YIauu gGlNh ARCOA kyjTO xqlN gWRci aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo UVTAB hswTp sXtkB AAqU fctVp ENhiS xjUSk NatTH NqeUA dZTKY QMxMQ LpcJi wardV kcRqD fhCRd MYLFX RkJsE iEOQC yaNWn ZUpvj HoXXr " data-testid="prism-ImageViewer_ExpandButton" type="button"><span class="CSJky pdAzW JSFPu "><svg aria-hidden="true" class=" " data-testid="prism-iconography" height="1em" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 48 48" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" data-icon="view-fullscreenEnter"><path fill="currentColor" d="M6.48 11.24V16h3.04V9.52H16V6.48H6.48v4.76M32 8v1.52h6.48V16h3.04V6.48H32V8M6.48 36.76v4.76H16v-3.04H9.52V32H6.48v4.76m32-1.52v3.24H32v3.04h9.52V32h-3.04v3.24"/></svg></span></button><figcaption><div class="nhMGc uZRln CebRs "><div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur tSkSq " data-testid="prism-caption"><div class="HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul "><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">In 2020 rangers Tony Chayam (at left), Petra Tkel (center), and Hercules Emilio refused a $50,000 bribe and helped apprehend illegal fishermen from China on Hotsarihie, a protected reef in southwestern Palau.</span></span></span></div></div></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="lZur asrEW "><figure class="kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO " data-testid="prism-figure"><div class="GpQCA lZur " style="padding-bottom:150.03663003663004%" data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><div class="lZur TmzDJ bmjsw " data-testid="prism-copyright-wrapper"><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 374px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=374&h=561, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=748&h=1122 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 375px) and (max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=413&h=620, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=826&h=1240 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=767&h=1151, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1534&h=2302 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1024&h=1536, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2048&h=3072 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1440px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1260&h=1890, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2520&h=3780 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1441px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1440&h=2161, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2880&h=4322 2x"/><img alt="From an underwater view, an orb of blue skylight shines through the water, creating a black silhouette of a canoe that floats on the surface." class="hsDdd bmjsw TmzDJ DXqUA UMBA UbGlr " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg"/></picture></div></div></div><button aria-label="Open Fullscreen" class="mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf XbEWk jIRH nkbp OJpwZ hUQGO wSPfd ofvJb lIDy YIauu gGlNh ARCOA kyjTO xqlN gWRci aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo UVTAB hswTp sXtkB AAqU fctVp ENhiS xjUSk NatTH NqeUA dZTKY QMxMQ LpcJi wardV kcRqD fhCRd MYLFX RkJsE iEOQC yaNWn ZUpvj HoXXr " data-testid="prism-ImageViewer_ExpandButton" type="button"><span class="CSJky pdAzW JSFPu "><svg aria-hidden="true" class=" " data-testid="prism-iconography" height="1em" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 48 48" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" data-icon="view-fullscreenEnter"><path fill="currentColor" d="M6.48 11.24V16h3.04V9.52H16V6.48H6.48v4.76M32 8v1.52h6.48V16h3.04V6.48H32V8M6.48 36.76v4.76H16v-3.04H9.52V32H6.48v4.76m32-1.52v3.24H32v3.04h9.52V32h-3.04v3.24"/></svg></span></button><figcaption><div class="nhMGc uZRln ppewn "><div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur tSkSq " data-testid="prism-caption"><div class="HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul "><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">An outrigger canoe in the waters off the Palau village of Echang illustrates the Hatohobei people’s fishing and wayfinding traditions.</span></span></span></div></div></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></figure></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Since the Helen Reef Resource Management Program launched more than 20 years ago, traditional Hatohobei stewardship has guided its safeguarding of the reef. This is a testament to conservation efforts across Palau, one of the most protected and biodiverse places in the world’s oceans.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy "><b class="cXscX ">Hotsarihie means</b> “reef of giant clams,” named for the once abundant <i class=" ">Tridacna</i> mollusks that, according to oral history, grew big enough for a diver to comfortably nestle inside. The atoll’s lagoon, channel, and extensive reef flats host a remarkable number of hard and soft coral species that provide underwater habitat for sea snails, sea cucumbers, and large reef fish, such as the humphead wrasse. On the island, green turtles and thousands of seabirds build nesting sites.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div class="natgeo-ad" data-testid="prism-ad-wrapper" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px;transition:min-height 0.3s linear 0s" data-ad-placeholder="true"><div data-box-type="fitt-adbox-fitt-article-inline-box" data-testid="prism-ad"><div class="Ad fitt-article-inline-box ad-slot " data-slot-type="fitt-article-inline-box" data-slot-kvps="pos=fitt-article-inline-box"></div></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">(<a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/giant-clams-are-being-stolen-and-carved-like-ivory" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class=" ">Criminals are stealing giant clams—and carving them like ivory. Here's why.</i></a>)</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The intimate relationship the Hatohobei people have with the land and sea has nurtured an enduring body of knowledge, practices, and traditions known as <i class=" ">moumou.</i> These include agricultural methods, fishing techniques, and seafaring traditions that guided the original Hatohobei navigators from the distant outer islands of Yap. Hatohobei means “to make stronger magic and find,” a reminder of how the ancestors settled on the island of Hatohobei after voyaging some 800 miles by sea.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div><div class="InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW " data-testid="prism-inline-image"><figure class="kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO " data-testid="prism-figure"><div class="GpQCA lZur gIjeL " data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><div class="lZur TmzDJ bmjsw " data-testid="prism-copyright-wrapper"><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 374px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=374&h=249, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=748&h=498 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 375px) and (max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=413&h=275, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=826&h=550 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=767&h=511, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1534&h=1022 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1024&h=683, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=2048&h=1366 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1440px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1260&h=840, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=2520&h=1680 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1441px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1440&h=960, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=2880&h=1920 2x"/><img alt="The Hotsarihie Reef brims with shades of pink and yellow and hues of green. A diverse arrangement of fish swims throughout the coral as hundreds explore the waters just above." class="hsDdd vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI UbGlr " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg" id="Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Hotsarihie Helen Reef"/></picture></div></div></div><button aria-label="Open Fullscreen" class="mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf XbEWk jIRH nkbp OJpwZ hUQGO wSPfd ofvJb lIDy YIauu gGlNh ARCOA kyjTO xqlN gWRci aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo UVTAB hswTp sXtkB AAqU fctVp ENhiS xjUSk NatTH NqeUA dZTKY QMxMQ LpcJi wardV kcRqD fhCRd MYLFX RkJsE iEOQC yaNWn ZUpvj HoXXr " data-testid="prism-ImageViewer_ExpandButton" type="button"><span class="CSJky pdAzW JSFPu "><svg aria-hidden="true" class=" " data-testid="prism-iconography" height="1em" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 48 48" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" data-icon="view-fullscreenEnter"><path fill="currentColor" d="M6.48 11.24V16h3.04V9.52H16V6.48H6.48v4.76M32 8v1.52h6.48V16h3.04V6.48H32V8M6.48 36.76v4.76H16v-3.04H9.52V32H6.48v4.76m32-1.52v3.24H32v3.04h9.52V32h-3.04v3.24"/></svg></span></button><figcaption><div class="VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur " data-testid="prism-caption"><div class="HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul "><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Within Palau’s treasure chest of biodiversity, Hotsarihie is a precious jewel. The atoll’s lagoon, channel, and reef flats support an array of hard and soft corals, turtles, sea snails, giant clams, fish, sharks, and seabirds.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Early generations of Hatohobeians raised a massive taro patch in the middle of the island to ensure a reliable food source, which they use to this day. They developed an array of fishing methods, including dipnet fishing by torchlight, noosing sharks, fishing under drifting logs, kite fishing, and trolling. Though many of these techniques are no longer used, knowledge of them has endured in the Hatohobei community through two centuries of frequent upheaval.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Starting at the end of the 1800s, Palau’s more than 340 islands, islets, and atolls were claimed, exploited, and ruled, in succession, by Spain, Germany, Japan, and, following World War II, the United States. Palau gained independence in 1994 after several decades of negotiations with the U.S. Under an agreement between the two countries, Palau receives economic assistance and access to U.S. federal mail, weather, and aviation services, and its citizens can live, work, and study in the U.S. without a visa. In exchange, the U.S. maintains military defense authority.</p><div class="oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX "><div class=" " data-testid="prism-static-embed" role="region"><div class="kUPWF evNvN "></div></div></div><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Over the years, foreign occupations, epidemics, storms and erosion, and extraction of natural resources have forced most of the Hatohobeians to leave their home island for Koror and beyond. Of the approximately 200 people of Hatohobei ancestry in Palau, only about 30 still live on the island year-round. Most reside in the community of Echang, established during the German occupation in the early 1900s in faraway Koror state. Today Hatohobei and Hotsarihie remain social and cultural bedrocks for the community that continues to care for them.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div class="natgeo-ad" data-testid="prism-ad-wrapper" style="min-width:728px;min-height:90px;transition:min-height 0.3s linear 0s" data-ad-placeholder="true"><div data-box-type="fitt-adbox-fitt-article-inline-outstream" data-testid="prism-ad"><div class="Ad fitt-article-inline-outstream ad-slot " data-slot-type="fitt-article-inline-outstream" data-slot-kvps="pos=fitt-article-inline-outstream-2"></div></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">In the 1990s, fishing boats from Indonesia and the Philippines greedily raided the reef using dynamite, cyanide, and large nets to harvest sea cucumbers, sea snails, giant clams, sharks, groupers, and turtles.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">With the help of two American scientists, the community reached out to other Pacific islanders to learn how they handled overfishing. But first it had to answer one question: Who owns the reef? This prompted a series of public meetings in 1999, attended by members of all Hatohobei families. After reviewing and acknowledging family and clan oral histories, the community agreed that the reef was collectively owned by the Hatohobei people. “The elder in the room asked each of the heads of family, ‘What is your say?’ And they all voiced their yes,” explained Wayne Andrew, a Hatohobeian and senior director of the Micronesia program at the conservation nonprofit OneReef. “We want Helen Reef to be protected.”</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The approach is different from landownership on Hatohobei, which is clan based, passed on matrilineally, and often contested. Such an innovative declaration of collective ownership disentangled the future of the reef from disputes and made it possible to manage for the benefit of all Hatohobeians. “Community is not people alone,” said Andrew. “Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important.”</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">In 2000 a group of Hatohobeians, other Palauans, and international groups secured government and private funding to start the Helen Reef Resource Management Program, and the following year the Hatohobei state legislature passed a law establishing the reef as a protected area. For the first four years, it was closed to marine-life harvest. As the reef recovered, approximately 30 percent of the atoll was opened up for sustainable fishing. “When we have abundance then the spillover can supply the community,” explained Thomas Patris, a former governor of Hatohobei state who was instrumental in the creation of the reserve.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">(<a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/palau-marine-protected-area-ocean-fish" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class=" ">Palau created one of the largest marine reserves on the planet—and it's paying off.</i></a>)</p><div class="oLzSq QrHMO GbsKS pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW AMhAA daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc ebfE nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY VvTxJ iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM hbvnu OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD iShaE ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV kRoBe oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX "><blockquote class="HsNzY JnYwf jsU UoVV WtEci dSKvB seFhp pUIMW daMmF FuEs NIUdb ipdub VcjIK iGXXi NAxPP DTNap " data-testid="prism-quote"><span class="VZTD mLASH dNrjv lNSey cxKJr jwWXL TcvpK GnZyW JEhbv GYnlH oHIfK lcTZO TqWpy bXOwM yTqXb DPZDl " aria-hidden="true"></span><div class="hsDdd DvAwN IkeLa SsRNi okhfR QnvPZ qbJCm vUdUe iwdZR IkUaO CVFag tiVYE VkFAq xQvoy Pvkuo SCJnQ XYhhK "><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">We understand at the end of the day, we're doing it for our people, for the future generation.</span></div><cite class="mLASH VZTD jIRH EKBC NdMej FwwV qWLoz GwUtD GGiOn "><div class="QHblV nkdHX mHUQ kvZxL hTosT whbOj " data-testid="prism-byline"><div class="VZTD mLASH BQWr "><div class="kKfXc ubAkB VZTD rEPuv "><div class="TQPvQ fVlAg HUcap kxY REjk UamUc WxHIR HhZOB yaUf VOJBn KMpjV XSbaH Umfib ukdDD "><span>Hercules Emilio</span><span><span class="EpNlu ">, </span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">a senior conservation officer</span></span></div></div></div></div></cite></blockquote></div><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Eventually, the program built a permanent ranger station, trained and hired Hatohobeians and other Palauans as conservation officers, and developed a comprehensive management plan based on scientific research and traditional knowledge. The rangers not only deter illegal fishing but also monitor turtles and other wildlife to maintain the restoration and health of the atoll.</p><div class="oLzSq QrHMO GbsKS pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW AMhAA daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc ebfE nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY VvTxJ iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM hbvnu OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD iShaE ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV kRoBe oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX "><div class="XQpSH zzkIM UtCfs sXthe lyRMG " data-testid="prism-divider"></div><div><section class="Kiog iKqXF CHWlW ZgZTu FlDNH hQfuy feniZ wBpop uAyYK yJYJo OGgqj tQHio PCVZs " data-testid="prism-collection"><header class="mLASH VZTD bhaVx "><div><h2 class="KuBvM RTkZF lFzlq GbVC HkWF exKgG kGyAC SwCrv ">You May Also Like</h2></div></header><div class="liAe uMOq zYIfP pYgZk Mxrkk VZTD lZur TPpRg NoUSU igcMP DtJWr QgBvn DFdlJ QGHKv VuOFc rRTs EwJTR UpiKB sKbok RsAxh msYPt zKjNI SXHxp OaElp halTF KzevM LFuuA xTOeQ jLoop " data-testid="prism-card"><a class="iVcn UbGlr ibBnq 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But now “the resources are coming back,” he said. “And we want to keep it that way.”</p><div class="oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX "><div class="LoCYw blgIc QcZAj wGwCE XfBPw McMna ubPuV pdYhu RBrva " role="complementary" data-testid="prism-listicle"><h3 class="wCqmG oFFrS lqtkC ">Read more stewardship stories</h3><div class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ PriDW oPZhA ">Indigenous peoples protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to the World Bank. These four communities are also shaping the future.</div><div class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ wMUi BSxhF Qcvvy Rmxn qLtV ">• <a href="https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/australia-aboriginal-women-fire-management " target="_blank">Aboriginal women are reclaiming traditions of fire in Australia</a><br>• <a href="https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenland-inughuit-hunters-narwhals" target="_blank">What Inughuit hunters in Greenland can teach us about the revered narwhal</a><br>• <a href="https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous" target="_blank">Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots</a><br>• <a href="https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ecuador-amazonia-cofan-land-guardians " target="_blank">‘This is Cofán land’: the fight to save Amazonia in Ecuador from intruders</a><br><br>And discover more of our <a href="https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024" target="_blank">“Indigenous Futures” special issue for July</a>.</div></div></div><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy "><b class="cXscX ">Traditional stewardship</b> is about applying the knowledge that generations of Hatohobeian ancestors gained while making the most of their limited resources. “They knew the right seasons for fishing,” Andrew explained. “When there was a good season, they would sail out and fish for pelagic fish, like mahi-mahi, tuna, flying fish, and needlefish. When there was a bad season, with rough seas, they would fish close to the reef, rotating through different species important for their livelihoods.”</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">(<a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/can-indigenous-land-stewardship-protect-biodiversity-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class=" ">Indigenous peoples defend Earth's biodiversity—but they're in danger.</i></a>)</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div><div class="InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW " data-testid="prism-inline-image"><figure class="kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO " data-testid="prism-figure"><div class="GpQCA lZur gIjeL " data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><div class="lZur TmzDJ bmjsw " data-testid="prism-copyright-wrapper"><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 374px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=374&h=249, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=748&h=498 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 375px) and (max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=413&h=275, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=826&h=550 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=767&h=511, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=1534&h=1022 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=1024&h=683, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=2048&h=1366 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1440px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=1260&h=840, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=2520&h=1680 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1441px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=1440&h=960, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg?w=2880&h=1920 2x"/><img alt="man in a blue t-shirt and swim shorts wears a blue snorkel mask and black diving fins underwater. The man holds a long silver spear, puncturing the head of a fish with hues of blue and green." class="hsDdd vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI UbGlr " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/a48c534a-ab25-45ff-8c0e-3d94d257efc7/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33921.jpg" id="Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Diver Spearfishing Underwater"/></picture></div></div></div><button aria-label="Open Fullscreen" class="mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf XbEWk jIRH nkbp OJpwZ hUQGO wSPfd ofvJb lIDy YIauu gGlNh ARCOA kyjTO xqlN gWRci aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo UVTAB hswTp sXtkB AAqU fctVp ENhiS xjUSk NatTH NqeUA dZTKY QMxMQ LpcJi wardV kcRqD fhCRd MYLFX RkJsE iEOQC yaNWn ZUpvj HoXXr " data-testid="prism-ImageViewer_ExpandButton" type="button"><span class="CSJky pdAzW JSFPu "><svg aria-hidden="true" class=" " data-testid="prism-iconography" height="1em" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 48 48" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" data-icon="view-fullscreenEnter"><path fill="currentColor" d="M6.48 11.24V16h3.04V9.52H16V6.48H6.48v4.76M32 8v1.52h6.48V16h3.04V6.48H32V8M6.48 36.76v4.76H16v-3.04H9.52V32H6.48v4.76m32-1.52v3.24H32v3.04h9.52V32h-3.04v3.24"/></svg></span></button><figcaption><div class="VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur " data-testid="prism-caption"><div class="HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul "><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Today the northern third of the reef is open for subsistence fishing to community members and rangers like Brian Fidiiy, who spearfishes to feed himself and his colleagues. The remaining waters around the reef are closed to harvesting.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The people of Hatohobei “use their traditional ecological knowledge in a supremely thoughtful way,” agreed Stuart Sandin, a marine biologist at the University of California, San Diego. He has led several expeditions to Hotsarihie as part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s research initiative on reef health across the tropical Pacific. Sandin pointed to the area’s robust populations of bumphead parrotfish and giant groupers, “fish that you just don’t see in heavily exploited systems.” Coral regrowth is also remarkable, according to Sandin. A series of images taken over time by his team show the reef’s corals have grown back “like crazy” after a considerable disturbance, such as a big wave or a coral-bleaching event. It’s “another signature that’s consistent with well-managed systems,” he said.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div class="natgeo-ad" data-testid="prism-ad-wrapper" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px;transition:min-height 0.3s linear 0s" data-ad-placeholder="true"><div data-box-type="fitt-adbox-fitt-article-inline-box" data-testid="prism-ad"><div class="Ad fitt-article-inline-box ad-slot " data-slot-type="fitt-article-inline-box" data-slot-kvps="pos=fitt-article-inline-box"></div></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Initially financed mostly by outside sources, the Helen Reef Resource Management Program is now supported largely by Palau’s Protected Areas Network Fund. The independent nonprofit organization serves as a financial trustee for money generated from “green fees” charged by the government to anyone who visits the country. This allows for the employment of eight full-time rangers rotating in and out of Hotsarihie every three to six months.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Palau’s conservation measures expanded with the creation of its national marine sanctuary, which went into effect in 2020. One of the largest marine protected areas in the world, the refuge protects 80 percent of Palau’s waters and more than 184,000 square miles of the western Pacific from extractive activities, including mining and fishing. The country has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in all of Micronesia, with hundreds of species of hard corals, soft corals, and sponges; over 1,300 species of reef fish; and significant stocks of tuna, billfish, sharks, and rays. The fund and sanctuary share an ethos rooted in Palau’s traditional practice of <i class=" ">bul:</i> restricting fishing in certain reef areas and certain times of year to allow for regeneration.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">(<a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/how-preserving-pristine-seas-can-help-save-fish-and-the-climate-feature" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class=" ">Inside the ambitious push to protect a third of the world’s ocean.</i></a>)</p><div class="oLzSq QrHMO GbsKS pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW AMhAA daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc ebfE nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY VvTxJ iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM hbvnu OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD iShaE ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV kRoBe oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX "><blockquote class="HsNzY JnYwf jsU UoVV WtEci dSKvB seFhp pUIMW daMmF FuEs NIUdb ipdub VcjIK iGXXi NAxPP DTNap " data-testid="prism-quote"><span class="VZTD mLASH dNrjv lNSey cxKJr jwWXL TcvpK GnZyW JEhbv GYnlH oHIfK lcTZO TqWpy bXOwM yTqXb DPZDl " aria-hidden="true"></span><div class="hsDdd DvAwN IkeLa SsRNi okhfR QnvPZ qbJCm vUdUe iwdZR IkUaO CVFag tiVYE VkFAq xQvoy Pvkuo SCJnQ XYhhK "><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Community is not people alone. Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important.</span></div><cite class="mLASH VZTD jIRH EKBC NdMej FwwV qWLoz GwUtD GGiOn "><div class="QHblV nkdHX mHUQ kvZxL hTosT whbOj " data-testid="prism-byline"><div class="VZTD mLASH BQWr "><div class="kKfXc ubAkB VZTD rEPuv "><div class="TQPvQ fVlAg HUcap kxY REjk UamUc WxHIR HhZOB yaUf VOJBn KMpjV XSbaH Umfib ukdDD "><span>Wayne Andrew</span><span><span class="EpNlu ">, </span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Micronesia director at OneReef</span></span></div></div></div></div></cite></blockquote></div><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Now, with the help of U.S.-based environmental organizations, Palau’s current president has begun looking at ways to modify the sanctuary’s boundaries to allow for increased revenue from commercial fishing—a response, in part, to an economic decline brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no doubt, explained Andrew, that a boost in commercial fishing in Palau would affect marine biodiversity. But any changes to the national sanctuary’s boundaries won’t take away Hotsarihie’s protected-area status, and Andrew affirms that the people of Hatohobei will continue to look after it.</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">A few years after the incident with the Chinese poachers, rangers still occupy their remote sandbar station. They haven’t faced another international skirmish yet, but they’re ready for whatever may come over the horizon.</p></div></div></div><div class="NYwzQ vUYNV glxIO ilAoG HPkGR "><div class="natgeo-ad" data-testid="prism-ad-wrapper" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px;transition:min-height 0.3s linear 0s" data-ad-placeholder="true"><div data-box-type="fitt-adbox-fitt-article-inline-box" data-testid="prism-ad"><div class="Ad fitt-article-inline-box ad-slot " data-slot-type="fitt-article-inline-box" data-slot-kvps="pos=fitt-article-inline-box"></div></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_main_group_wrapper VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs iJVrZ " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“What I love about the job is that I’m helping the community,” said ranger Tkel. “Even when there’s another job opportunity for me, I’ll stick with my island.”</p><p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">(<a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/passport-stamp-ecotourism-pledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class=" ">Palau was the first country to require 'eco-pledge' upon arrival.</i></a>)</p><div class="eTIW QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX sUzSN "><div class="SDgng miqYR PMJVQ QtdQF WYbZw hwQoR SkUsC UlTly FxKvG BOli LbgCH nvgXD qZlJZ hdCKb " data-testid="prism-editors-note"><div class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ fIerE gzgIi sbNwD wyNiH oGaak mIoBf HPTnC SyFCf KSVzn EMccI MTazT TWYO pxDKL syqKH AAxjg AGdf YLpQy UPQXr OWaqr MWqqQ rhuiH sYoWw jOwXI GfFUP iLdhU GuqqH UXCTR ExGxl CPrEb ">An ecologist and author of <i>The Archipelago of Hope</i>, <b>Gleb Raygorodetsky</b> covered conservation efforts in Greenland and Palau this month. An ally of Indigenous peoples, he lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 territory. Find him on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gleb_raygorodetsky/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<br><br>Based in Seattle and of Hèzhé (Nanai) and Chinese descent, <b>Kiliii Yüyan</b> is a photographer who focuses on Indigenous land stewardship, which he documents in this issue. An Explorer since 2021, he chronicled Indigenous sovereignty for a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/north-americas-native-nations-reassert-their-sovereignty-feature" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2022 cover story</a>. Come see Kiliii in person at a National Geographic Live show. Visit <a href="http://natgeo.com/events" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">natgeo.com/events</a><a href="http://natgeo.com/events." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">.</a><br><br>The nonprofit National Geographic Society, working to conserve Earth’s resources, helped fund this story and the four additional Stewardship articles in this issue.<br><br>This story appears in the <a href="https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024" target="_blank">July 2024 special issue on "Indigenous Futures"</a> of <i>National Geographic</i> magazine.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="FITT_Article_end "><div class="VZTD UeCOM jIRH oimqG DjbQm UwdmX Xmrlz ReShI KaJdY lqtkC ssImf HfYhe RTHNs " data-testid="prism-GridContainer"><div class="Kiog kNVGM nvpSA qwdi bmjsw " data-testid="prism-GridRow"><div class="theme-e oBTii mrzah " data-testid="prism-GridColumn" style="--grid-column-span-xxs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-xs:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-sm:var(--grid-columns);--grid-column-span-md:20;--grid-column-span-lg:16;--grid-column-span-xl:16;--grid-column-span-xxl:14;--grid-column-start-xxs:auto;--grid-column-start-xs:auto;--grid-column-start-sm:auto;--grid-column-start-md:3;--grid-column-start-lg:5;--grid-column-start-xl:5;--grid-column-start-xxl:6"><div style="--spacing-top:32px;--spacing-bottom:0px;--spacing-child-top:initial;--spacing-child-bottom:32px;--spacing-firstChild-top:initial;--spacing-firstChild-bottom:initial;--spacing-lastChild-top:initial;--spacing-lastChild-bottom:32px;--spacing-compact-top:32px;--spacing-compact-bottom:0px;--spacing-firstChild-compact-top:initial;--spacing-firstChild-compact-bottom:initial;--spacing-child-compact-top:initial;--spacing-child-compact-bottom:32px;--spacing-lastChild-compact-top:initial;--spacing-lastChild-compact-bottom:32px" class="dHdHP jLREf zXXje aGO eCClZ nTLv jLsYA gmuro TOSFd VmeZt sCkVm hkQai wGrlE MUuGM fciaN qQjt DhNVo Tgcqk IGLAf tWjkv "><div><div data-testid="prism-tags"><h2 class="QOIir HJolv pZjYK JKlkC RZhHM ">Related Topics</h2><ul class="VZTD UeCOM dAmzA ltDkr qBPOY uoPjL "><li class=" "><a class="theme-iPcRv theme-HReFq mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf zYXIH jIRH wNxoc OJpwZ eqFg wSPfd ofvJb bMrzT LaUnX EgONj ibBnq kyjTO lvyBv aANqO aNnIu GDslh LjPJo RpDvg YYtC rTpcz EDgo SIwmX oIWqB mzm MbcTC sXtkB yayQB vXSTR ENhiS dQa-Du SVBll bpBbX GpQCA tuAKv xTell wdAqb ZqGqs LVAIE TnrRA uECag DcwSV XnBOJ cELRj SUAFz XzYk zkmjG aSyef pFen hoNVj TQOOL Haltu NafGB KpEhF jyjDy kZHqU FZKIw QddLR SKDYB UmcQM giepU cTjQC aRMla MMxXy fFMcX PbMFf hJRbU MRTyf iFJTR koyYF TkdYt DZNRX MALjb VUFMN " data-testid="prism-Tag" href="/related/90984df0-fe83-306d-a54f-7bf9d7fdd41f/reefs" data-pos="0"><span class="QXDKT rGjeC tuAKv iMbiE ">REEFS</span></a></li><li class=" "><a class="theme-iPcRv theme-HReFq mLASH egFzk qXWHA ScoIf zYXIH jIRH wNxoc OJpwZ eqFg wSPfd 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data-testid="prism-card"><a class="iVcn UbGlr ibBnq qdXbA avodi DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE QGHKv rEPuv ICwhc seFhp WtEci dVINO " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous" aria-label="Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots" aria-describedby="Mongoliabecameaglobatags"><div class="hsDdd GpQCA lZur BOsoU YMZw dihEb srtah LmIPo JzlZQ VbrfA zZsl kjmkg OwbFk QuuaM cBQOR "><div class="GpQCA lZur lIngG nFtJ GHKp awJgN EuJtJ " data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=300&h=225, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=600&h=450 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=612&h=459, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=1224&h=918 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=350&h=263, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=700&h=526 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1260px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=195&h=146, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=390&h=292 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1261px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=400&h=300, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg?w=800&h=600 2x"/><img alt="" class="hsDdd " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg"/></picture></div></div></div><div class="QGHKv iVcn avodi rEPuv ICwhc ibBnq seFhp WtEci "><div class="VZTD rEPuv QXDKT sAjcO " data-testid="prism-meta"><div class="CJAFL gDeX "><div class="mLASH VZTD UeCOM wSnmx ltDkr MjHGf rmiAn vvBSK " id="Mongoliabecameaglobatags"><div class="wXbPV YAJid wPGsL ">ENVIRONMENT</div></div><h2 class="PFoxV eBpQD rcQBv bQtjQ lQUdN GpQCA mAkiF FvMyr WvoqU " id="Mongoliabecameaglobaheadline">Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots</h2></div></div></div></a></div><div class="liAe uMOq zYIfP pYgZk Mxrkk hsDdd lZur TPpRg NoUSU igcMP DtJWr QgBvn DFdlJ MpFZk " data-testid="prism-card"><a class="iVcn UbGlr ibBnq qdXbA avodi DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE QGHKv rEPuv ICwhc seFhp WtEci dVINO " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/in-a-warming-climate-we-need-to-rethink-how-we-conserve-nature-feature" aria-label="In a warming climate, we need to radically rethink how we conserve nature" aria-describedby="Inawarmingclimatewentags"><div class="hsDdd GpQCA lZur BOsoU YMZw dihEb srtah LmIPo JzlZQ VbrfA zZsl kjmkg OwbFk QuuaM cBQOR "><div class="GpQCA lZur lIngG nFtJ GHKp awJgN EuJtJ " data-testid="prism-ratio-frame"><div class="FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV "><picture data-testid="prism-picture"><source media="(max-width: 413px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=300&h=225, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=600&h=450 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 414px) and (max-width: 767px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=612&h=459, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=1224&h=918 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=350&h=263, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=700&h=526 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1260px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=195&h=146, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=390&h=292 2x"/><source media="(min-width: 1261px)" srcSet="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=400&h=300, https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg?w=800&h=600 2x"/><img alt="" class="hsDdd " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" src="https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cdaf660a-3bf5-4b4e-80a0-a2c21daf80e1/MM9431_220416_D2N_Bears_Ears_11_4x3.jpg"/></picture></div></div></div><div class="QGHKv iVcn avodi rEPuv ICwhc ibBnq seFhp WtEci "><div class="VZTD rEPuv QXDKT sAjcO " data-testid="prism-meta"><div class="CJAFL gDeX "><div class="mLASH VZTD UeCOM wSnmx ltDkr MjHGf rmiAn vvBSK " id="Inawarmingclimatewentags"><div class="wXbPV YAJid wPGsL ">MAGAZINE</div></div><h2 class="PFoxV eBpQD rcQBv bQtjQ lQUdN GpQCA mAkiF FvMyr WvoqU " id="Inawarmingclimatewenheadline">In a warming climate, we need to radically rethink how we conserve 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Hotsarihie is collectively owned by the people on the nearby island of Hatohobei."},"rchTtl":{"markup":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Helen Island Birdseye"}},"imageAlt":"Underneath a cloudy sky, a small and narrow sandbar stands out against the vibrant blue hues of the surrounding ocean."},"hideEndBug":true,"positionMetaBottom":true,"showDownArrow":false,"ctaLinkDisplay":"textLink","description":"The Hatohobei people's innovative protections ensure a reef's health for generations to come.","sectionLabels":[{"name":"Environment","type":"sources","uri":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment"}],"theme":"Dark","title":"Palau’s waters are some of the most biodiverse in the world—thanks to its defenders","imageSrcLead":[{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=374&h=249","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=748&h=498"},"media":"(max-width: 374px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=413&h=275","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=826&h=550"},"media":"(max-width: 413px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=767&h=511","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1534&h=1022"},"media":"(max-width: 767px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1024&h=682","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=2048&h=1364"},"media":"(max-width: 1024px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1260&h=839","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=2520&h=1678"},"media":"(max-width: 1440px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1440&h=959","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=2880&h=1918"},"media":"(min-width: 1441px)"}],"imageSrc":[{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=374&h=249","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=748&h=498"},"media":"(max-width: 374px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=413&h=275","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=826&h=550"},"media":"(max-width: 413px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=767&h=511","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1534&h=1022"},"media":"(max-width: 767px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1024&h=682","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=2048&h=1364"},"media":"(max-width: 1024px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1260&h=839","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=2520&h=1678"},"media":"(max-width: 1440px)"},{"sources":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=1440&h=959","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803.jpg?w=2880&h=1918"},"media":"(min-width: 1441px)"}]}]},{"id":"natgeo-template1-frame-1-module-1","cmsType":"StackModule","align":"left","edgs":[{"dvdr":{"hideLogo":true},"cmsType":"ArticleBodyTile","id":"natgeo-template1-frame-1-module-1","bdy":[{"id":"html0","cntnt":{"mrkup":"<b>On a clear morning in December 2020</b>, at the southwestern edge of the <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/palau\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Palau archipelago</a>, rangers from the Helen Reef Resource Management Program were starting their day, tidying up around their station and checking spearguns for afternoon fishing, when they heard a motor and soon spotted an unknown vessel. This could only mean trouble. They would have been notified about a legitimate craft coming to Hotsarihie, as Helen Reef is known to the Hatohobei people, the traditional stewards of the area."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html1","cntnt":{"mrkup":"“That boat was coming in with a lot of goods,” recalled Petra Tkel, a conservation officer—or ranger, as the program staff call themselves—whose mother comes from Hatohobei, an island 40 miles west of the reef. It was part of a small fleet of six motorboats from a Chinese vessel poaching sea cucumbers that could fetch up to $800 a pound in Hong Kong."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html2","cntnt":{"mrkup":"When one boat approached the rangers’ station on Helen Island, a sandbar at the northern edge of the reef, the team communicated through hand gestures for the illegal fishermen to return to their ship and wait for further instruction. “I was scared,” Tkel said. “That was my first time encountering poachers.” She slipped away and made a call by satellite phone to the program manager in Koror, Palau’s largest city. Help was on the way, but it would take a couple of days to dispatch a Marine Law Enforcement boat across the 350 miles of open ocean. The rangers—who are not permitted to board foreign vessels for their own safety—would have to stall the poachers."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"67a137d5-cbb6-460c-839c-3206313f42f0","cntnt":{"cmsType":"image","ariaLabel":"image","align":"browserWidth","belowParagraph":true,"envNme":"prod","flags":{"hideTitle":true,"hideCredit":true,"hideAssetSource":true},"qryStr":"userab=ng_pw_copy-287*variant_b-1127&forceMode=fitt","mrkup":"","placement":"inline"},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html3","cntnt":{"mrkup":"The fishermen later came back with rice, beer, and $20,000 cash, plus the promise of wiring an additional $30,000. Split evenly among the team, the total bribe amounted to a ranger’s annual salary. The poachers had assumed their money would work. But for Hercules Emilio, the team’s senior conservation officer, rejecting the money was a no-brainer. “We understand at the end of the day, we’re doing it for our people, for the future generation,” said Emilio, who grew up on Hatohobei, also called Tobi Island, when he was young."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html4","cntnt":{"mrkup":"The Chinese poachers brought their main vessel through the channel into the sheltered waters of the reef’s lagoon and sent divers down to plunder. They kept offering the money and goods, but the rangers remained steadfast."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html5","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Finally, with air and sea support from the U.S. Coast Guard, the patrol boat arrived from Koror on the third day and blocked the channel, trapping the Chinese vessel inside the lagoon. Officers boarded the ship and detained its crew of 28, seizing cash, motorboats, fishing gear, and 500 pounds of illegally harvested sea cucumbers."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html6","cntnt":{"mrkup":"(<a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150612-palau-burns-illegal-fishing-boats-pirate-poaching-marine-conservation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Palau burned boats to deter illegal fishing.</i></a>)"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html7","cntnt":{"mrkup":"“I am so proud of our rangers,” said Rosania Victor, the program’s manager, in a video about the incident. “For the sacrifices they made in manning the remote station away from their families. For their bravery in intercepting an illegal fishing vessel using their experience and tactics from their trainings. And for having the integrity to refuse the bribes.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"9643f0b8-e3cb-479b-b5b8-819d7a53c01b","cntnt":{"cmsType":"imagegroup","hasCopyright":true,"id":"9643f0b8-e3cb-479b-b5b8-819d7a53c01b","align":"browserWidth","images":[{"aspectRatio":0.66650390625,"alt":"Three conservation officers, also known as rangers, stand proudly on the grass framing the waters behind them— one ranger front and center and the other two behind each shoulder.","caption":"In 2020 rangers Tony Chayam (at left), Petra Tkel (center), and Hercules Emilio refused a $50,000 bribe and helped apprehend illegal fishermen from China on Hotsarihie, a protected reef in southwestern 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conservation officers, also known as rangers, stand proudly on the grass framing the waters behind them— one ranger front and center and the other two behind each shoulder.","crdt":"Photograph by Kilii Yüyan","dsc":"In 2020 rangers Tony Chayam (at left), Petra Tkel (center), and Hercules Emilio refused a $50,000 bribe and helped apprehend illegal fishermen from China on Hotsarihie, a protected reef in southwestern Palau.","ttl":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Three Rangers Portrait","rchDsc":{"markup":"In 2020 rangers Tony Chayam (at left), Petra Tkel (center), and Hercules Emilio refused a $50,000 bribe and helped apprehend illegal fishermen from China on Hotsarihie, a protected reef in southwestern Palau."},"rchTtl":{"markup":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Three Rangers Portrait"}},"src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg"},{"aspectRatio":0.66650390625,"alt":"From an underwater view, an orb of blue skylight shines through 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traditions.","image":{"crps":[{"nm":"raw","aspRto":0.66650390625,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg"},{"nm":"16x9","aspRto":1.7777777777777777,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_16x9.jpg"},{"nm":"3x2","aspRto":1.5,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_3x2.jpg"},{"nm":"square","aspRto":1,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_square.jpg"},{"nm":"2x3","aspRto":0.6666666666666666,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_2x3.jpg"},{"nm":"3x4","aspRto":0.75,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_3x4.jpg"},{"nm":"4x3","aspRto":1.3333333333333333,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_4x3.jpg"},{"nm":"2x1","aspRto":2,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926_2x1.jpg"}],"rt":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg","src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg","altText":"From an underwater view, an orb of blue skylight shines through the water, creating a black silhouette of a canoe that floats on the surface.","crdt":"Photograph by Kilii Yüyan","dsc":"An outrigger canoe in the waters off the Palau village of Echang illustrates the Hatohobei people’s fishing and wayfinding traditions.","ttl":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Canoe silhouette underwater","rchDsc":{"markup":"An outrigger canoe in the waters off the Palau village of Echang illustrates the Hatohobei people’s fishing and wayfinding traditions."},"rchTtl":{"markup":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Canoe silhouette underwater"}},"src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg"}],"size":"large"},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html8","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Since the Helen Reef Resource Management Program launched more than 20 years ago, traditional Hatohobei stewardship has guided its safeguarding of the reef. This is a testament to conservation efforts across Palau, one of the most protected and biodiverse places in the world’s oceans."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html9","cntnt":{"mrkup":"<b>Hotsarihie means</b> “reef of giant clams,” named for the once abundant <i>Tridacna</i> mollusks that, according to oral history, grew big enough for a diver to comfortably nestle inside. The atoll’s lagoon, channel, and extensive reef flats host a remarkable number of hard and soft coral species that provide underwater habitat for sea snails, sea cucumbers, and large reef fish, such as the humphead wrasse. On the island, green turtles and thousands of seabirds build nesting sites."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html10","cntnt":{"mrkup":"(<a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/giant-clams-are-being-stolen-and-carved-like-ivory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Criminals are stealing giant clams—and carving them like ivory. Here's why.</i></a>)"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html11","cntnt":{"mrkup":"The intimate relationship the Hatohobei people have with the land and sea has nurtured an enduring body of knowledge, practices, and traditions known as <i>moumou.</i> These include agricultural methods, fishing techniques, and seafaring traditions that guided the original Hatohobei navigators from the distant outer islands of Yap. Hatohobei means “to make stronger magic and find,” a reminder of how the ancestors settled on the island of Hatohobei after voyaging some 800 miles by sea."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"7c1abb60-e06e-4ff2-9204-cfb2e40a8991","cntnt":{"cmsType":"image","ariaLabel":"image","align":"browserWidth","belowParagraph":true,"envNme":"prod","flags":{"hideTitle":true,"hideCredit":true,"hideAssetSource":true},"qryStr":"userab=ng_pw_copy-287*variant_b-1127&forceMode=fitt","mrkup":"","placement":"inline"},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html12","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Early generations of Hatohobeians raised a massive taro patch in the middle of the island to ensure a reliable food source, which they use to this day. They developed an array of fishing methods, including dipnet fishing by torchlight, noosing sharks, fishing under drifting logs, kite fishing, and trolling. Though many of these techniques are no longer used, knowledge of them has endured in the Hatohobei community through two centuries of frequent upheaval."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html13","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Starting at the end of the 1800s, Palau’s more than 340 islands, islets, and atolls were claimed, exploited, and ruled, in succession, by Spain, Germany, Japan, and, following World War II, the United States. Palau gained independence in 1994 after several decades of negotiations with the U.S. Under an agreement between the two countries, Palau receives economic assistance and access to U.S. federal mail, weather, and aviation services, and its citizens can live, work, and study in the U.S. without a visa. In exchange, the U.S. maintains military defense authority."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"87daffe7-940c-4084-9fb4-3d482bca139a","cntnt":{"src":"https://interactives.natgeofe.com/high-touch/ngm-2407-Palau-map/builds/main/html/_graphic.html","cmsType":"source","ariaLabel":"source","align":"contentWidth","belowParagraph":true,"envNme":"prod","qryStr":"userab=ng_pw_copy-287*variant_b-1127&forceMode=fitt","mrkup":"","placement":"inline"},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html14","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Over the years, foreign occupations, epidemics, storms and erosion, and extraction of natural resources have forced most of the Hatohobeians to leave their home island for Koror and beyond. Of the approximately 200 people of Hatohobei ancestry in Palau, only about 30 still live on the island year-round. Most reside in the community of Echang, established during the German occupation in the early 1900s in faraway Koror state. Today Hatohobei and Hotsarihie remain social and cultural bedrocks for the community that continues to care for them."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html15","cntnt":{"mrkup":"In the 1990s, fishing boats from Indonesia and the Philippines greedily raided the reef using dynamite, cyanide, and large nets to harvest sea cucumbers, sea snails, giant clams, sharks, groupers, and turtles."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html16","cntnt":{"mrkup":"With the help of two American scientists, the community reached out to other Pacific islanders to learn how they handled overfishing. But first it had to answer one question: Who owns the reef? This prompted a series of public meetings in 1999, attended by members of all Hatohobei families. After reviewing and acknowledging family and clan oral histories, the community agreed that the reef was collectively owned by the Hatohobei people. “The elder in the room asked each of the heads of family, ‘What is your say?’ And they all voiced their yes,” explained Wayne Andrew, a Hatohobeian and senior director of the Micronesia program at the conservation nonprofit OneReef. “We want Helen Reef to be protected.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html17","cntnt":{"mrkup":"The approach is different from landownership on Hatohobei, which is clan based, passed on matrilineally, and often contested. Such an innovative declaration of collective ownership disentangled the future of the reef from disputes and made it possible to manage for the benefit of all Hatohobeians. “Community is not people alone,” said Andrew. “Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html18","cntnt":{"mrkup":"In 2000 a group of Hatohobeians, other Palauans, and international groups secured government and private funding to start the Helen Reef Resource Management Program, and the following year the Hatohobei state legislature passed a law establishing the reef as a protected area. For the first four years, it was closed to marine-life harvest. As the reef recovered, approximately 30 percent of the atoll was opened up for sustainable fishing. “When we have abundance then the spillover can supply the community,” explained Thomas Patris, a former governor of Hatohobei state who was instrumental in the creation of the reserve."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html19","cntnt":{"mrkup":"(<a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/palau-marine-protected-area-ocean-fish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Palau created one of the largest marine reserves on the planet—and it's paying off.</i></a>)"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"4376374d-3444-4d78-9911-9561b9c40f0d","cntnt":{"cmsType":"pullquote","id":"4376374d-3444-4d78-9911-9561b9c40f0d","quote":"We understand at the end of the day, we're doing it for our people, for the future generation.","theme":"","type":"pull","hideIcon":true,"byLineProps":{"authors":[{"displayName":"Hercules Emilio","authorDesc":"a senior conservation officer"}],"mode":"richtext"}},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html20","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Eventually, the program built a permanent ranger station, trained and hired Hatohobeians and other Palauans as conservation officers, and developed a comprehensive management plan based on scientific research and traditional knowledge. The rangers not only deter illegal fishing but also monitor turtles and other wildlife to maintain the restoration and health of the atoll."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html21","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Patris remembered visiting the reef as a small child: “In the evening, when it’s low tide, the birds come in from hunting and would fly so low that the giant clams get excited and close their shells, squirting water out.” Years later he took his kids to witness the phenomenon to no avail. But now “the resources are coming back,” he said. “And we want to keep it that way.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"5bfb0814-424c-4430-8e22-76d8c8396b6b","cntnt":{"cmsType":"listicle","id":"5bfb0814-424c-4430-8e22-76d8c8396b6b","hasCopyright":true,"description":"Indigenous peoples protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to the World Bank. These four communities are also shaping the future.","text":"• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/australia-aboriginal-women-fire-management \" target=\"_blank\">Aboriginal women are reclaiming traditions of fire in Australia</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenland-inughuit-hunters-narwhals\" target=\"_blank\">What Inughuit hunters in Greenland can teach us about the revered narwhal</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous\" target=\"_blank\">Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ecuador-amazonia-cofan-land-guardians \" target=\"_blank\">‘This is Cofán land’: the fight to save Amazonia in Ecuador from intruders</a><br><br>And discover more of our <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">“Indigenous Futures” special issue for July</a>.","title":"Read more stewardship stories"},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html22","cntnt":{"mrkup":"<b>Traditional stewardship</b> is about applying the knowledge that generations of Hatohobeian ancestors gained while making the most of their limited resources. “They knew the right seasons for fishing,” Andrew explained. “When there was a good season, they would sail out and fish for pelagic fish, like mahi-mahi, tuna, flying fish, and needlefish. When there was a bad season, with rough seas, they would fish close to the reef, rotating through different species important for their livelihoods.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html23","cntnt":{"mrkup":"(<a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/can-indigenous-land-stewardship-protect-biodiversity-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Indigenous peoples defend Earth's biodiversity—but they're in danger.</i></a>)"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"80a7f908-f321-4d89-8829-66e35f682f19","cntnt":{"cmsType":"image","ariaLabel":"image","align":"browserWidth","belowParagraph":true,"envNme":"prod","flags":{"hideTitle":true,"hideCredit":true,"hideAssetSource":true},"qryStr":"userab=ng_pw_copy-287*variant_b-1127&forceMode=fitt","mrkup":"","placement":"inline"},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html24","cntnt":{"mrkup":"The people of Hatohobei “use their traditional ecological knowledge in a supremely thoughtful way,” agreed Stuart Sandin, a marine biologist at the University of California, San Diego. He has led several expeditions to Hotsarihie as part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s research initiative on reef health across the tropical Pacific. Sandin pointed to the area’s robust populations of bumphead parrotfish and giant groupers, “fish that you just don’t see in heavily exploited systems.” Coral regrowth is also remarkable, according to Sandin. A series of images taken over time by his team show the reef’s corals have grown back “like crazy” after a considerable disturbance, such as a big wave or a coral-bleaching event. It’s “another signature that’s consistent with well-managed systems,” he said."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html25","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Initially financed mostly by outside sources, the Helen Reef Resource Management Program is now supported largely by Palau’s Protected Areas Network Fund. The independent nonprofit organization serves as a financial trustee for money generated from “green fees” charged by the government to anyone who visits the country. This allows for the employment of eight full-time rangers rotating in and out of Hotsarihie every three to six months."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html26","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Palau’s conservation measures expanded with the creation of its national marine sanctuary, which went into effect in 2020. One of the largest marine protected areas in the world, the refuge protects 80 percent of Palau’s waters and more than 184,000 square miles of the western Pacific from extractive activities, including mining and fishing. The country has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in all of Micronesia, with hundreds of species of hard corals, soft corals, and sponges; over 1,300 species of reef fish; and significant stocks of tuna, billfish, sharks, and rays. The fund and sanctuary share an ethos rooted in Palau’s traditional practice of <i>bul:</i> restricting fishing in certain reef areas and certain times of year to allow for regeneration."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html27","cntnt":{"mrkup":"(<a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/how-preserving-pristine-seas-can-help-save-fish-and-the-climate-feature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Inside the ambitious push to protect a third of the world’s ocean.</i></a>)"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"b13b82a3-b7f8-4e99-8adb-4989631a71d8","cntnt":{"cmsType":"pullquote","id":"b13b82a3-b7f8-4e99-8adb-4989631a71d8","quote":"Community is not people alone. Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important.","theme":"","type":"pull","hideIcon":true,"byLineProps":{"authors":[{"displayName":"Wayne Andrew","authorDesc":"Micronesia director at OneReef"}],"mode":"richtext"}},"type":"inline","style":{}},{"id":"html28","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Now, with the help of U.S.-based environmental organizations, Palau’s current president has begun looking at ways to modify the sanctuary’s boundaries to allow for increased revenue from commercial fishing—a response, in part, to an economic decline brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no doubt, explained Andrew, that a boost in commercial fishing in Palau would affect marine biodiversity. But any changes to the national sanctuary’s boundaries won’t take away Hotsarihie’s protected-area status, and Andrew affirms that the people of Hatohobei will continue to look after it."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html29","cntnt":{"mrkup":"A few years after the incident with the Chinese poachers, rangers still occupy their remote sandbar station. They haven’t faced another international skirmish yet, but they’re ready for whatever may come over the horizon."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html30","cntnt":{"mrkup":"“What I love about the job is that I’m helping the community,” said ranger Tkel. “Even when there’s another job opportunity for me, I’ll stick with my island.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html31","cntnt":{"mrkup":"(<a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/passport-stamp-ecotourism-pledge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Palau was the first country to require 'eco-pledge' upon arrival.</i></a>)"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"070364c6-9653-4276-9dc7-77e13d752132","cntnt":{"id":"070364c6-9653-4276-9dc7-77e13d752132","cmsType":"editorsNote","note":"An ecologist and author of <i>The Archipelago of Hope</i>, <b>Gleb Raygorodetsky</b> covered conservation efforts in Greenland and Palau this month. An ally of Indigenous peoples, he lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 territory. Find him on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gleb_raygorodetsky/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram</a>.<br><br>Based in Seattle and of Hèzhé (Nanai) and Chinese descent, <b>Kiliii Yüyan</b> is a photographer who focuses on Indigenous land stewardship, which he documents in this issue. An Explorer since 2021, he chronicled Indigenous sovereignty for a <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/north-americas-native-nations-reassert-their-sovereignty-feature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2022 cover story</a>. Come see Kiliii in person at a National Geographic Live show. Visit <a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">natgeo.com/events</a><a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">.</a><br><br>The nonprofit National Geographic Society, working to conserve Earth’s resources, helped fund this story and the four additional Stewardship articles in this issue.<br><br>This story appears in the <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">July 2024 special issue on \"Indigenous Futures\"</a> of <i>National Geographic</i> magazine."},"type":"inline","style":{}}],"cid":"drn:src:natgeo:unison::prod:77d9c727-f393-4323-86d5-749060a9f04a","cntrbGrp":[{"contributors":[{"displayName":"Gleb Raygorodetsky"}],"title":"By","rl":"Writer"},{"contributors":[{"displayName":"Kiliii Yüyan"}],"title":"Photographs By","rl":"Photographer"}],"mode":"richtext","enableAds":true,"endbug":true,"hsImmrsvLd":true,"isMetered":false,"isUserAuthed":false,"isTruncated":false,"isEntitled":false,"freemiumContentGatingEnabled":true,"premiumContentGatingEnabled":false,"mdDt":"2024-07-09T13:46:54.873Z","schma":{"athrs":[{"name":"Gleb Raygorodetsky"}],"cnnicl":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/palau-ocean-reef-defenders-hatohobei","kywrds":"helen reef, palau, stewardship, local chiefs, chiefs","lg":"https://assets-cdn.nationalgeographic.com/natgeo/static/default.NG.logo.dark.jpg","pblshr":"National Geographic","abt":"Reefs","sclDsc":"The Hatohobei people's innovative protections ensure a reef's health for generations to come.","sclImg":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/d3bbba54-01cf-427e-8ca4-221dd2e75e66/NGS-82828S-21-221119-34803_16x9.jpg?w=1200","sclTtl":"Palau’s waters are some of the most biodiverse in the world—thanks to its defenders"},"sctn":"Environment","wrdcnt":2376,"dt":"2024-06-28T18:01:18.464Z","prismData":{"mainComponents":[{"name":"Byline","props":{"contributors":[{"name":"Gleb Raygorodetsky","role":"writer","labelOverride":"By"},{"name":"Kiliii Yüyan","role":"photographer","labelOverride":null}],"logoRadius":true,"publishedDate":{"date":"2024-06-28T18:01:18.464Z","postFormat":"MMMM D, YYYY","preFormat":"MMMM D, YYYY"},"shareProps":{"title":"Palau’s waters are some of the most biodiverse in the world—thanks to its defenders","url":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/palau-ocean-reef-defenders-hatohobei","pageType":"Story","source":"NatGeo","shareButton":"inline","size":"l","networks":["facebook","twitter","email","link"],"description":"The Hatohobei people's innovative protections ensure a reef's health for generations to come."}},"config":{},"usesArticleObject":true},{"name":"Divider","props":{"className":"natgeoDivider"},"config":{},"usesArticleObject":true},{"name":"Body","props":{"body":[[{"type":"p","content":[{"type":"b","content":["On a clear morning in December 2020"]},", at the southwestern edge of the ",{"type":"a","content":["Palau archipelago"],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/palau","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},", rangers from the Helen Reef Resource Management Program were starting their day, tidying up around their station and checking spearguns for afternoon fishing, when they heard a motor and soon spotted an unknown vessel. This could only mean trouble. They would have been notified about a legitimate craft coming to Hotsarihie, as Helen Reef is known to the Hatohobei people, the traditional stewards of the area."]},{"type":"p","content":["“That boat was coming in with a lot of goods,” recalled Petra Tkel, a conservation officer—or ranger, as the program staff call themselves—whose mother comes from Hatohobei, an island 40 miles west of the reef. It was part of a small fleet of six motorboats from a Chinese vessel poaching sea cucumbers that could fetch up to $800 a pound in Hong Kong."]},{"type":"p","content":["When one boat approached the rangers’ station on Helen Island, a sandbar at the northern edge of the reef, the team communicated through hand gestures for the illegal fishermen to return to their ship and wait for further instruction. “I was scared,” Tkel said. “That was my first time encountering poachers.” She slipped away and made a call by satellite phone to the program manager in Koror, Palau’s largest city. Help was on the way, but it would take a couple of days to dispatch a Marine Law Enforcement boat across the 350 miles of open ocean. The rangers—who are not permitted to board foreign vessels for their own safety—would have to stall the poachers."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Image","props":{"link":{},"caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"Blacktip reef sharks swim in Rock Islands Southern Lagoon. An archipelago, Palau was the first country to create a shark haven, in 2009. Later it established the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, which prohibits fishing and mining in most of its waters.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false,"wrapperProps":{"columnConfig":{"span":{"base":100,"md":20,"lg":16,"xxl":14},"start":{"md":3,"lg":5,"xxl":6}}}},"image":{"id":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Shark Underwater Tree","showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","alt":"Framed by the shade of a hanging tree, a Blacktip reef shark, approximately 3 to 4 feet long, is lit by reflections of the sun on the water's surface as it swims alongside other sharks and fish.","src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg","sources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=374&h=249","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=748&h=498"},"max":374,"nativeWidth":374},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=413&h=275","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=826&h=550"},"max":413,"min":375,"nativeWidth":413},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=767&h=511","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1534&h=1022"},"max":767,"min":414,"nativeWidth":767},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1024&h=683","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=2048&h=1366"},"max":1024,"min":768,"nativeWidth":1024},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1260&h=840","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=2520&h=1680"},"max":1440,"min":1025,"nativeWidth":1260},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=1440&h=960","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/765a04d2-5cfa-46d8-8500-c9e720219585/NGS-82828S-21-221113-30563.jpg?w=2880&h=1920"},"min":1441,"nativeWidth":1440}]},"ratio":"3x2","disableFullscreen":false},"context":{},"config":{"align":"full","alignXxs":"full","gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["The fishermen later came back with rice, beer, and $20,000 cash, plus the promise of wiring an additional $30,000. Split evenly among the team, the total bribe amounted to a ranger’s annual salary. The poachers had assumed their money would work. But for Hercules Emilio, the team’s senior conservation officer, rejecting the money was a no-brainer. “We understand at the end of the day, we’re doing it for our people, for the future generation,” said Emilio, who grew up on Hatohobei, also called Tobi Island, when he was young."]},{"type":"p","content":["The Chinese poachers brought their main vessel through the channel into the sheltered waters of the reef’s lagoon and sent divers down to plunder. They kept offering the money and goods, but the rangers remained steadfast."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Ad","props":{"ad":{"kvps":{"pos":"fitt-article-inline-outstream-1"},"type":"fitt-article-inline-outstream","className":"fitt-article-inline-outstream"},"className":"natgeo-ad","placeholders":{"compact":{"size":[320,50]},"regular":{"size":[728,90]}},"initSelf":true},"context":{},"config":{"gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["Finally, with air and sea support from the U.S. Coast Guard, the patrol boat arrived from Koror on the third day and blocked the channel, trapping the Chinese vessel inside the lagoon. Officers boarded the ship and detained its crew of 28, seizing cash, motorboats, fishing gear, and 500 pounds of illegally harvested sea cucumbers."]},{"type":"p","content":["(",{"type":"a","content":[{"type":"i","content":["Palau burned boats to deter illegal fishing."]}],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150612-palau-burns-illegal-fishing-boats-pirate-poaching-marine-conservation","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},")"]},{"type":"p","content":["“I am so proud of our rangers,” said Rosania Victor, the program’s manager, in a video about the incident. “For the sacrifices they made in manning the remote station away from their families. For their bravery in intercepting an illegal fishing vessel using their experience and tactics from their trainings. And for having the integrity to refuse the bribes.”"]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"ImageGroup","props":{"images":[{"src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg","alt":"Three conservation officers, also known as rangers, stand proudly on the grass framing the waters behind them— one ranger front and center and the other two behind each shoulder.","sources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=374&h=561","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=748&h=1122"},"max":374,"nativeWidth":374},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=413&h=620","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=826&h=1240"},"max":413,"min":375,"nativeWidth":413},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=767&h=1151","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1534&h=2302"},"max":767,"min":414,"nativeWidth":767},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1024&h=1536","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=2048&h=3072"},"max":1024,"min":768,"nativeWidth":1024},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1260&h=1890","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=2520&h=3780"},"max":1440,"min":1025,"nativeWidth":1260},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=1440&h=2161","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/33491edf-e8be-455d-b115-9aca3e99f596/NGS-82828S-21-221124-37372.jpg?w=2880&h=4322"},"min":1441,"nativeWidth":1440}],"showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"In 2020 rangers Tony Chayam (at left), Petra Tkel (center), and Hercules Emilio refused a $50,000 bribe and helped apprehend illegal fishermen from China on Hotsarihie, a protected reef in southwestern Palau.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false,"wrapper":"div","wrapperProps":{"className":"nhMGc uZRln CebRs "}}},{"src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg","alt":"From an underwater view, an orb of blue skylight shines through the water, creating a black silhouette of a canoe that floats on the surface.","sources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=374&h=561","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=748&h=1122"},"max":374,"nativeWidth":374},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=413&h=620","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=826&h=1240"},"max":413,"min":375,"nativeWidth":413},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=767&h=1151","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1534&h=2302"},"max":767,"min":414,"nativeWidth":767},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1024&h=1536","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2048&h=3072"},"max":1024,"min":768,"nativeWidth":1024},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1260&h=1890","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2520&h=3780"},"max":1440,"min":1025,"nativeWidth":1260},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1440&h=2161","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2880&h=4322"},"min":1441,"nativeWidth":1440}],"showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"An outrigger canoe in the waters off the Palau village of Echang illustrates the Hatohobei people’s fishing and wayfinding traditions.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false,"wrapper":"div","wrapperProps":{"className":"nhMGc uZRln ppewn "}}}],"ratio":{"height":2048,"width":1365},"disableFullscreen":false},"context":{},"config":{"align":"full","alignXxs":"full","gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["Since the Helen Reef Resource Management Program launched more than 20 years ago, traditional Hatohobei stewardship has guided its safeguarding of the reef. This is a testament to conservation efforts across Palau, one of the most protected and biodiverse places in the world’s oceans."]},{"type":"p","content":[{"type":"b","content":["Hotsarihie means"]}," “reef of giant clams,” named for the once abundant ",{"type":"i","content":["Tridacna"]}," mollusks that, according to oral history, grew big enough for a diver to comfortably nestle inside. The atoll’s lagoon, channel, and extensive reef flats host a remarkable number of hard and soft coral species that provide underwater habitat for sea snails, sea cucumbers, and large reef fish, such as the humphead wrasse. On the island, green turtles and thousands of seabirds build nesting sites."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Ad","props":{"ad":{"type":"fitt-article-inline-box","className":"fitt-article-inline-box"},"className":"natgeo-ad","placeholders":{"compact":{"size":[300,250]},"regular":{"size":[300,250]}},"initSelf":true},"context":{},"config":{"gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["(",{"type":"a","content":[{"type":"i","content":["Criminals are stealing giant clams—and carving them like ivory. Here's why."]}],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/giant-clams-are-being-stolen-and-carved-like-ivory","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},")"]},{"type":"p","content":["The intimate relationship the Hatohobei people have with the land and sea has nurtured an enduring body of knowledge, practices, and traditions known as ",{"type":"i","content":["moumou."]}," These include agricultural methods, fishing techniques, and seafaring traditions that guided the original Hatohobei navigators from the distant outer islands of Yap. Hatohobei means “to make stronger magic and find,” a reminder of how the ancestors settled on the island of Hatohobei after voyaging some 800 miles by sea."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Image","props":{"link":{},"caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"Within Palau’s treasure chest of biodiversity, Hotsarihie is a precious jewel. The atoll’s lagoon, channel, and reef flats support an array of hard and soft corals, turtles, sea snails, giant clams, fish, sharks, and seabirds.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false,"wrapperProps":{"columnConfig":{"span":{"base":100,"md":20,"lg":16,"xxl":14},"start":{"md":3,"lg":5,"xxl":6}}}},"image":{"id":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Hotsarihie Helen Reef","showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","alt":"The Hotsarihie Reef brims with shades of pink and yellow and hues of green. A diverse arrangement of fish swims throughout the coral as hundreds explore the waters just above.","src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg","sources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=374&h=249","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=748&h=498"},"max":374,"nativeWidth":374},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=413&h=275","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=826&h=550"},"max":413,"min":375,"nativeWidth":413},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=767&h=511","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1534&h=1022"},"max":767,"min":414,"nativeWidth":767},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1024&h=683","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=2048&h=1366"},"max":1024,"min":768,"nativeWidth":1024},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1260&h=840","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=2520&h=1680"},"max":1440,"min":1025,"nativeWidth":1260},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=1440&h=960","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/54f471a2-2bcf-48c0-bc48-d7b8d8c6099b/NGS-82828S-21-221118-33426.jpg?w=2880&h=1920"},"min":1441,"nativeWidth":1440}]},"ratio":"3x2","disableFullscreen":false},"context":{},"config":{"align":"full","alignXxs":"full","gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["Early generations of Hatohobeians raised a massive taro patch in the middle of the island to ensure a reliable food source, which they use to this day. They developed an array of fishing methods, including dipnet fishing by torchlight, noosing sharks, fishing under drifting logs, kite fishing, and trolling. Though many of these techniques are no longer used, knowledge of them has endured in the Hatohobei community through two centuries of frequent upheaval."]},{"type":"p","content":["Starting at the end of the 1800s, Palau’s more than 340 islands, islets, and atolls were claimed, exploited, and ruled, in succession, by Spain, Germany, Japan, and, following World War II, the United States. Palau gained independence in 1994 after several decades of negotiations with the U.S. Under an agreement between the two countries, Palau receives economic assistance and access to U.S. federal mail, weather, and aviation services, and its citizens can live, work, and study in the U.S. without a visa. In exchange, the U.S. maintains military defense authority."]},{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"MarkupEmbed","props":{"a11yCTAText":"More Details","caption":{"title":null,"text":"","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More"},"encMethod":"esc","useSafeFrame":false,"requestProps":{"src":"https://interactives.natgeofe.com/high-touch/ngm-2407-Palau-map/builds/main/html/_graphic.html","stateKey":"markup"},"tmsEnabled":true},"context":{},"config":{"align":"full","alignXxs":"full"}}},{"type":"p","content":["Over the years, foreign occupations, epidemics, storms and erosion, and extraction of natural resources have forced most of the Hatohobeians to leave their home island for Koror and beyond. Of the approximately 200 people of Hatohobei ancestry in Palau, only about 30 still live on the island year-round. Most reside in the community of Echang, established during the German occupation in the early 1900s in faraway Koror state. Today Hatohobei and Hotsarihie remain social and cultural bedrocks for the community that continues to care for them."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Ad","props":{"ad":{"kvps":{"pos":"fitt-article-inline-outstream-2"},"type":"fitt-article-inline-outstream","className":"fitt-article-inline-outstream"},"className":"natgeo-ad","placeholders":{"compact":{"size":[320,50]},"regular":{"size":[728,90]}},"initSelf":true},"context":{},"config":{"gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["In the 1990s, fishing boats from Indonesia and the Philippines greedily raided the reef using dynamite, cyanide, and large nets to harvest sea cucumbers, sea snails, giant clams, sharks, groupers, and turtles."]},{"type":"p","content":["With the help of two American scientists, the community reached out to other Pacific islanders to learn how they handled overfishing. But first it had to answer one question: Who owns the reef? This prompted a series of public meetings in 1999, attended by members of all Hatohobei families. After reviewing and acknowledging family and clan oral histories, the community agreed that the reef was collectively owned by the Hatohobei people. “The elder in the room asked each of the heads of family, ‘What is your say?’ And they all voiced their yes,” explained Wayne Andrew, a Hatohobeian and senior director of the Micronesia program at the conservation nonprofit OneReef. “We want Helen Reef to be protected.”"]},{"type":"p","content":["The approach is different from landownership on Hatohobei, which is clan based, passed on matrilineally, and often contested. Such an innovative declaration of collective ownership disentangled the future of the reef from disputes and made it possible to manage for the benefit of all Hatohobeians. “Community is not people alone,” said Andrew. “Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important.”"]},{"type":"p","content":["In 2000 a group of Hatohobeians, other Palauans, and international groups secured government and private funding to start the Helen Reef Resource Management Program, and the following year the Hatohobei state legislature passed a law establishing the reef as a protected area. For the first four years, it was closed to marine-life harvest. As the reef recovered, approximately 30 percent of the atoll was opened up for sustainable fishing. “When we have abundance then the spillover can supply the community,” explained Thomas Patris, a former governor of Hatohobei state who was instrumental in the creation of the reserve."]},{"type":"p","content":["(",{"type":"a","content":[{"type":"i","content":["Palau created one of the largest marine reserves on the planet—and it's paying off."]}],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/palau-marine-protected-area-ocean-fish","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},")"]},{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"PullQuote","props":{"type":"pull","text":"We understand at the end of the day, we're doing it for our people, for the future generation.","hasQuotationMark":false,"contributors":[{"hideLabel":true,"name":"Hercules Emilio","affiliate":"a senior conservation officer"}],"logoRadius":true},"context":{},"config":{}}},{"type":"p","content":["Eventually, the program built a permanent ranger station, trained and hired Hatohobeians and other Palauans as conservation officers, and developed a comprehensive management plan based on scientific research and traditional knowledge. The rangers not only deter illegal fishing but also monitor turtles and other wildlife to maintain the restoration and health of the atoll."]},{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"ContentPromo","props":{"cards":[{"headline":"Coral reefs in the Philippines are some of the world’s most vibrant—but in peril","image":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/2fadf79b-4f9e-474f-bee6-9fb5d897df76/MM8431_160527_7551_square.jpg","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/philippines-reefs-are-some-of-the-most-vibrant-but-in-peril-feature","imageRatio":"1x1","tags":[{"value":"MAGAZINE","type":"text"}],"imageSources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/2fadf79b-4f9e-474f-bee6-9fb5d897df76/MM8431_160527_7551_square.jpg?w=195&h=195","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/2fadf79b-4f9e-474f-bee6-9fb5d897df76/MM8431_160527_7551_square.jpg?w=390&h=390"},"max":767,"nativeWidth":195},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/2fadf79b-4f9e-474f-bee6-9fb5d897df76/MM8431_160527_7551_square.jpg?w=220&h=220","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/2fadf79b-4f9e-474f-bee6-9fb5d897df76/MM8431_160527_7551_square.jpg?w=440&h=440"},"min":768,"nativeWidth":220}],"type":"floating","inline":true},{"headline":"The world's biggest marine reserve seems to be doing its job","image":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/714d9740-b606-4d3e-ab01-68f4b42d92ec/01_27473142682_6fee305e9e_o_square.jpg","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/the-worlds-biggest-marine-reserve-seems-to-be-doing-its-job","imageRatio":"1x1","tags":[{"value":"ENVIRONMENT","type":"text"}],"imageSources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/714d9740-b606-4d3e-ab01-68f4b42d92ec/01_27473142682_6fee305e9e_o_square.jpg?w=195&h=195","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/714d9740-b606-4d3e-ab01-68f4b42d92ec/01_27473142682_6fee305e9e_o_square.jpg?w=390&h=390"},"max":767,"nativeWidth":195},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/714d9740-b606-4d3e-ab01-68f4b42d92ec/01_27473142682_6fee305e9e_o_square.jpg?w=220&h=220","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/714d9740-b606-4d3e-ab01-68f4b42d92ec/01_27473142682_6fee305e9e_o_square.jpg?w=440&h=440"},"min":768,"nativeWidth":220}],"type":"floating","inline":true},{"headline":"‘This is Cofán land’: the fight to save Amazonia from intruders","image":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/74573f36-f7b7-47e8-85e5-56a5e9417703/NGS-82828S-21-220910-24473_square.jpg","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ecuador-amazonia-cofan-land-guardians","imageRatio":"1x1","tags":[{"value":"ENVIRONMENT","type":"text"}],"imageSources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/74573f36-f7b7-47e8-85e5-56a5e9417703/NGS-82828S-21-220910-24473_square.jpg?w=195&h=195","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/74573f36-f7b7-47e8-85e5-56a5e9417703/NGS-82828S-21-220910-24473_square.jpg?w=390&h=390"},"max":767,"nativeWidth":195},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/74573f36-f7b7-47e8-85e5-56a5e9417703/NGS-82828S-21-220910-24473_square.jpg?w=220&h=220","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/74573f36-f7b7-47e8-85e5-56a5e9417703/NGS-82828S-21-220910-24473_square.jpg?w=440&h=440"},"min":768,"nativeWidth":220}],"type":"floating","inline":true}],"title":"You May Also Like","dividerEnabled":true},"context":{},"config":{"align":"center"}}},{"type":"p","content":["Patris remembered visiting the reef as a small child: “In the evening, when it’s low tide, the birds come in from hunting and would fly so low that the giant clams get excited and close their shells, squirting water out.” Years later he took his kids to witness the phenomenon to no avail. But now “the resources are coming back,” he said. “And we want to keep it that way.”"]},{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Listicle","props":{"title":"Read more stewardship stories","body":"• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/australia-aboriginal-women-fire-management \" target=\"_blank\">Aboriginal women are reclaiming traditions of fire in Australia</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenland-inughuit-hunters-narwhals\" target=\"_blank\">What Inughuit hunters in Greenland can teach us about the revered narwhal</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous\" target=\"_blank\">Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ecuador-amazonia-cofan-land-guardians \" target=\"_blank\">‘This is Cofán land’: the fight to save Amazonia in Ecuador from intruders</a><br><br>And discover more of our <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">“Indigenous Futures” special issue for July</a>.","description":"Indigenous peoples protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to the World Bank. These four communities are also shaping the future.","richTextElement":"div"},"context":{},"config":{"align":"full"}}},{"type":"p","content":[{"type":"b","content":["Traditional stewardship"]}," is about applying the knowledge that generations of Hatohobeian ancestors gained while making the most of their limited resources. “They knew the right seasons for fishing,” Andrew explained. “When there was a good season, they would sail out and fish for pelagic fish, like mahi-mahi, tuna, flying fish, and needlefish. When there was a bad season, with rough seas, they would fish close to the reef, rotating through different species important for their livelihoods.”"]},{"type":"p","content":["(",{"type":"a","content":[{"type":"i","content":["Indigenous peoples defend Earth's biodiversity—but they're in danger."]}],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/can-indigenous-land-stewardship-protect-biodiversity-","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},")"]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Image","props":{"link":{},"caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"Today the northern third of the reef is open for subsistence fishing to community members and rangers like Brian Fidiiy, who spearfishes to feed himself and his colleagues. The remaining waters around the reef are closed to harvesting.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false,"wrapperProps":{"columnConfig":{"span":{"base":100,"md":20,"lg":16,"xxl":14},"start":{"md":3,"lg":5,"xxl":6}}}},"image":{"id":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Diver Spearfishing Underwater","showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","alt":"man in a blue t-shirt and swim shorts wears a blue snorkel mask and black diving fins underwater. 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He has led several expeditions to Hotsarihie as part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s research initiative on reef health across the tropical Pacific. Sandin pointed to the area’s robust populations of bumphead parrotfish and giant groupers, “fish that you just don’t see in heavily exploited systems.” Coral regrowth is also remarkable, according to Sandin. A series of images taken over time by his team show the reef’s corals have grown back “like crazy” after a considerable disturbance, such as a big wave or a coral-bleaching event. It’s “another signature that’s consistent with well-managed systems,” he said."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Ad","props":{"ad":{"type":"fitt-article-inline-box","className":"fitt-article-inline-box"},"className":"natgeo-ad","placeholders":{"compact":{"size":[300,250]},"regular":{"size":[300,250]}},"initSelf":true},"context":{},"config":{"gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["Initially financed mostly by outside sources, the Helen Reef Resource Management Program is now supported largely by Palau’s Protected Areas Network Fund. The independent nonprofit organization serves as a financial trustee for money generated from “green fees” charged by the government to anyone who visits the country. This allows for the employment of eight full-time rangers rotating in and out of Hotsarihie every three to six months."]},{"type":"p","content":["Palau’s conservation measures expanded with the creation of its national marine sanctuary, which went into effect in 2020. One of the largest marine protected areas in the world, the refuge protects 80 percent of Palau’s waters and more than 184,000 square miles of the western Pacific from extractive activities, including mining and fishing. The country has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in all of Micronesia, with hundreds of species of hard corals, soft corals, and sponges; over 1,300 species of reef fish; and significant stocks of tuna, billfish, sharks, and rays. The fund and sanctuary share an ethos rooted in Palau’s traditional practice of ",{"type":"i","content":["bul:"]}," restricting fishing in certain reef areas and certain times of year to allow for regeneration."]},{"type":"p","content":["(",{"type":"a","content":[{"type":"i","content":["Inside the ambitious push to protect a third of the world’s ocean."]}],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/how-preserving-pristine-seas-can-help-save-fish-and-the-climate-feature","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},")"]},{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"PullQuote","props":{"type":"pull","text":"Community is not people alone. Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important.","hasQuotationMark":false,"contributors":[{"hideLabel":true,"name":"Wayne Andrew","affiliate":"Micronesia director at OneReef"}],"logoRadius":true},"context":{},"config":{}}},{"type":"p","content":["Now, with the help of U.S.-based environmental organizations, Palau’s current president has begun looking at ways to modify the sanctuary’s boundaries to allow for increased revenue from commercial fishing—a response, in part, to an economic decline brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no doubt, explained Andrew, that a boost in commercial fishing in Palau would affect marine biodiversity. But any changes to the national sanctuary’s boundaries won’t take away Hotsarihie’s protected-area status, and Andrew affirms that the people of Hatohobei will continue to look after it."]},{"type":"p","content":["A few years after the incident with the Chinese poachers, rangers still occupy their remote sandbar station. They haven’t faced another international skirmish yet, but they’re ready for whatever may come over the horizon."]}],{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"Ad","props":{"ad":{"type":"fitt-article-inline-box","className":"fitt-article-inline-box"},"className":"natgeo-ad","placeholders":{"compact":{"size":[300,250]},"regular":{"size":[300,250]}},"initSelf":true},"context":{},"config":{"gridDisplayMode":"none"}}},[{"type":"p","content":["“What I love about the job is that I’m helping the community,” said ranger Tkel. “Even when there’s another job opportunity for me, I’ll stick with my island.”"]},{"type":"p","content":["(",{"type":"a","content":[{"type":"i","content":["Palau was the first country to require 'eco-pledge' upon arrival."]}],"attrs":{"href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/passport-stamp-ecotourism-pledge","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener noreferrer"}},")"]},{"type":"inline","content":{"name":"EditorsNote","props":{"body":"An ecologist and author of <i>The Archipelago of Hope</i>, <b>Gleb Raygorodetsky</b> covered conservation efforts in Greenland and Palau this month. An ally of Indigenous peoples, he lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 territory. Find him on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gleb_raygorodetsky/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram</a>.<br><br>Based in Seattle and of Hèzhé (Nanai) and Chinese descent, <b>Kiliii Yüyan</b> is a photographer who focuses on Indigenous land stewardship, which he documents in this issue. An Explorer since 2021, he chronicled Indigenous sovereignty for a <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/north-americas-native-nations-reassert-their-sovereignty-feature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2022 cover story</a>. Come see Kiliii in person at a National Geographic Live show. Visit <a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">natgeo.com/events</a><a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">.</a><br><br>The nonprofit National Geographic Society, working to conserve Earth’s resources, helped fund this story and the four additional Stewardship articles in this issue.<br><br>This story appears in the <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">July 2024 special issue on \"Indigenous Futures\"</a> of <i>National Geographic</i> magazine.","header":null},"context":{},"config":{"align":"full"}}}]],"blockquote":{"disableQuotationMark":true,"simple":true},"dateline":null,"datelineSeparator":"—","wordCount":1995,"className":"PrismArticleBody SingleColumn"},"config":{"gridDisplayMode":"none"},"usesArticleObject":true}],"topComponents":[{"name":"Ad","props":{"ad":{"type":null,"className":null},"initSelf":true},"config":{}},{"name":"ArticleLead","props":{"alignCaptionToBody":true,"colorMode":"dark","ctaSize":"m","description":"The Hatohobei people's innovative protections ensure a reef's health for generations to come.","disableForMobile":true,"enableBackgroundColor":true,"focalPointX":"center","focalPointY":"center","hasByline":false,"image":{"caption":{"source":"","text":"The only human residents on Helen Island, a narrow sandbar at the northern edge of the atoll, are the rangers stationed there to protect its wildlife. 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<a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/australia-aboriginal-women-fire-management \" target=\"_blank\">Aboriginal women are reclaiming traditions of fire in Australia</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenland-inughuit-hunters-narwhals\" target=\"_blank\">What Inughuit hunters in Greenland can teach us about the revered narwhal</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous\" target=\"_blank\">Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ecuador-amazonia-cofan-land-guardians \" target=\"_blank\">‘This is Cofán land’: the fight to save Amazonia in Ecuador from intruders</a><br><br>And discover more of our <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">“Indigenous Futures” special issue for July</a>.","description":"Indigenous peoples protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to the World Bank. These four communities are also shaping the future.","inlineId":"5bfb0814-424c-4430-8e22-76d8c8396b6b","richTextElement":"div"}},{"type":"image","data":{"disableFullscreen":false,"articleConfig":{"alignXxs":"full","align":"full","gridDisplayMode":"none"},"image":{"id":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Diver Spearfishing Underwater","showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","alt":"man in a blue t-shirt and swim shorts wears a blue snorkel mask and black diving fins underwater. 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The remaining waters around the reef are closed to harvesting.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false},"ratio":"3x2"}},{"type":"pullQuote","data":{"articleConfig":{},"inlineId":"b13b82a3-b7f8-4e99-8adb-4989631a71d8","contributors":[{"name":"Wayne Andrew","affiliate":"Micronesia director at OneReef"}],"text":"Community is not people alone. Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important."},"options":{"PullQuote":{"hasQuotationMark":false}}},{"type":"editorsNote","data":{"articleConfig":{"align":"full"},"body":"An ecologist and author of <i>The Archipelago of Hope</i>, <b>Gleb Raygorodetsky</b> covered conservation efforts in Greenland and Palau this month. An ally of Indigenous peoples, he lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 territory. Find him on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gleb_raygorodetsky/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram</a>.<br><br>Based in Seattle and of Hèzhé (Nanai) and Chinese descent, <b>Kiliii Yüyan</b> is a photographer who focuses on Indigenous land stewardship, which he documents in this issue. An Explorer since 2021, he chronicled Indigenous sovereignty for a <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/north-americas-native-nations-reassert-their-sovereignty-feature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2022 cover story</a>. Come see Kiliii in person at a National Geographic Live show. Visit <a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">natgeo.com/events</a><a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">.</a><br><br>The nonprofit National Geographic Society, working to conserve Earth’s resources, helped fund this story and the four additional Stewardship articles in this issue.<br><br>This story appears in the <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">July 2024 special issue on \"Indigenous Futures\"</a> of <i>National Geographic</i> magazine.","header":null,"inlineId":"070364c6-9653-4276-9dc7-77e13d752132"}}],"Blockquote":{"disableQuotationMark":true,"simple":true},"datelineSeparator":"—","stripBr":false,"className":"PrismArticleBody SingleColumn","hideReadTime":true},"dataConstructorMap":{},"topComponents":[{"name":"PrismArticleLead","data":{"alignCaptionToBody":true,"colorMode":"dark","ctaSize":"m","description":"The Hatohobei people's innovative protections ensure a reef's health for generations to come.","disableForMobile":true,"enableBackgroundColor":true,"focalPointX":"center","focalPointY":"center","hasByline":false,"image":{"caption":{"source":"","text":"The only human residents on Helen Island, a narrow sandbar at the northern edge of the atoll, are the rangers stationed there to protect its wildlife. 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Guides toss shrimp to attract the sharks, and scientists worry this could change the animals’ behavior. But tourism can replace fishing in the economy, helping preserve coral reefs.","ttl":"Tourists_swim_whale_sharks","rchDsc":{"markup":"Tourists swim with whale sharks near Oslob, on Cebu island, reflecting the tension between using and protecting the ocean. Guides toss shrimp to attract the sharks, and scientists worry this could change the animals’ behavior. 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Symbionts are the tiny cells of algae that live inside the coral tissue, providing corals with energy to grow. The survival of reef-building corals depends on this mutually beneficial relationship. When temperatures become too warm this relationship breaks down, causing the algae to be lost from the coral animal and turning it white. This is known as coral bleaching. The symbionts used in this study had their heat tolerance bolstered in the lab by exposing multiple generations to elevated temperatures for 10 years. The heat-evolved symbionts have then been offered to coral fragments which had been previously chemically bleached. The scientists found the symbionts were able to maintain a symbiosis with corals for two years, promoting faster coral recovery from bleaching and enhancing their heat tolerance without trading off on growth.","rchDsc":{"markup":"New research from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Melbourne indicates that adult fragments of a coral species can better tolerate bleaching and recover faster when treated with tougher heat-evolved symbionts. Symbionts are the tiny cells of algae that live inside the coral tissue, providing corals with energy to grow. The survival of reef-building corals depends on this mutually beneficial relationship. When temperatures become too warm this relationship breaks down, causing the algae to be lost from the coral animal and turning it white. This is known as coral bleaching. The symbionts used in this study had their heat tolerance bolstered in the lab by exposing multiple generations to elevated temperatures for 10 years. The heat-evolved symbionts have then been offered to coral fragments which had been previously chemically bleached. The scientists found the symbionts were able to maintain a symbiosis with corals for two years, promoting faster coral recovery from bleaching and enhancing their heat tolerance without trading off on growth."},"rchTtl":{"markup":""}},"sections":[{"name":"Environment","id":"623ce370-3e67-3fb2-b9a5-070ceb9b2de5","type":"sources","uri":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment"}],"headline":"The race to create climate-resilient coral—before it's too late","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/coral-reef-lab-innovation-climate-change"},{"description":"When hundreds of eerily perfect circles were discovered on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, theories abounded about what they could mean. 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made these 1,300 strange circles at the bottom of the sea?","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mystery-circles-mediterranean-sea-floor"},{"description":"Swim through seagrass meadows, explore ancient history and observe dugongs among coral reefs — an awe-inspiring world beneath the waves awaits those willing to dive down and 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swimming underwater in the sea alongside a coloured reef","crdt":"Photograph by Jay Clue","dsc":".","ttl":"PADI diving in coral reefs Egypt","rchDsc":{"markup":"."},"rchTtl":{"markup":"PADI diving in coral reefs Egypt"}},"sections":["Paid Content"],"headline":"7 of the world's most incredible scuba diving experiences","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-7-incredible-scuba-diving-experiences"},{"description":"Buryat Mongol elder Erjen Khamaganova credits the Indigenous emphasis on humanity’s relationship with nature as the foundation for protecting the country’s lands.","img":{"crps":[{"nm":"raw","aspRto":1.5003663003663004,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964.jpg"},{"nm":"16x9","aspRto":1.7777777777777777,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_16x9.jpg"},{"nm":"3x2","aspRto":1.5,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_3x2.jpg"},{"nm":"square","aspRto":1,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_square.jpg"},{"nm":"2x3","aspRto":0.6666666666666666,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_2x3.jpg"},{"nm":"3x4","aspRto":0.75,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_3x4.jpg"},{"nm":"4x3","aspRto":1.3333333333333333,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_4x3.jpg"},{"nm":"2x1","aspRto":2,"url":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964_2x1.jpg"}],"rt":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964.jpg","src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/cbe33265-1f6a-4dfa-8135-123cc294bff7/NGS-82828S-21-230929-58964.jpg","crdt":"Photograph by Kiliii Yuyan","ttl":"Mongolia:","rchDsc":{"markup":""},"rchTtl":{"markup":"Mongolia: "}},"sections":[{"name":"Environment","id":"623ce370-3e67-3fb2-b9a5-070ceb9b2de5","type":"sources","uri":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment"}],"headline":"These values helped Mongolia become a leader in conservation","link":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous"},{"description":"Parks and refuges aren't enough to preserve America’s environment. 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One president preserved it at the urging of Native Americans who hold it sacred; another tried to open it to drilling and mining. A national monument rich with archaeological sites, it includes the Citadel, once a fortified cliff dwelling, now a popular hiking spot. Stephen Wilkes took 2,092 photos over 36 hours and selected 44 for this image, capturing a sunrise, a full moon, and a rare alignment of four planets. “Beyond the sense of awe and beauty,” he says, “there’s a palpable sense of history with every step you take.","ttl":"America The Beautiful-MM9431-Bears Ears","rchDsc":{"markup":"<b>Bears Ears, Southeastern Utah</b>\n<br>This spectacular landscape is a\nsymbol of the risk to some of the\ncountry’s unique and irreplaceable\nplaces. 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Unauthorized use is prohibited.","caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"In 2020 rangers Tony Chayam (at left), Petra Tkel (center), and Hercules Emilio refused a $50,000 bribe and helped apprehend illegal fishermen from China on Hotsarihie, a protected reef in southwestern Palau.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false}},{"src":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg","alt":"From an underwater view, an orb of blue skylight shines through the water, creating a black silhouette of a canoe that floats on the surface.","sources":[{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=374&h=561","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=748&h=1122"},"max":374,"nativeWidth":374},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=413&h=620","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=826&h=1240"},"max":413,"min":375,"nativeWidth":413},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=767&h=1151","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1534&h=2302"},"max":767,"min":414,"nativeWidth":767},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1024&h=1536","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2048&h=3072"},"max":1024,"min":768,"nativeWidth":1024},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1260&h=1890","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2520&h=3780"},"max":1440,"min":1025,"nativeWidth":1260},{"src":{"x1":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=1440&h=2161","x2":"https://i.natgeofe.com/n/ee9cac1c-2108-4bbb-a6b1-b52623e6bbb3/NGS-82828S-21-221109-27926.jpg?w=2880&h=4322"},"min":1441,"nativeWidth":1440}],"showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","caption":{"title":"","credit":"","source":"","text":"An outrigger canoe in the waters off the Palau village of Echang illustrates the Hatohobei people’s fishing and wayfinding traditions.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false}}],"inlineId":"9643f0b8-e3cb-479b-b5b8-819d7a53c01b","ratio":{"height":2048,"width":1365},"disableFullscreen":false}},{"type":"image","data":{"disableFullscreen":false,"articleConfig":{"alignXxs":"full","align":"full","gridDisplayMode":"none"},"image":{"id":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Hotsarihie Helen Reef","showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","alt":"The Hotsarihie Reef brims with shades of pink and yellow and hues of green. 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The atoll’s lagoon, channel, and reef flats support an array of hard and soft corals, turtles, sea snails, giant clams, fish, sharks, and seabirds.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false},"ratio":"3x2"}},{"type":"source","data":{"articleConfig":{"alignXxs":"full","align":"full"},"useSafeFrame":false,"a11yCTAText":"More Details","caption":{"title":null,"text":"","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More"},"encMethod":"esc","inlineId":"87daffe7-940c-4084-9fb4-3d482bca139a","tmsEnabled":true,"placement":"inline","fallbackId":"b1c1a73a-fd64-4891-aa86-a98a94e0ab40","fallbackHref":"","fallbackRel":"fallbackImage","fallbackType":"image","markupSrc":"https://interactives.natgeofe.com/high-touch/ngm-2407-Palau-map/builds/main/html/_graphic.html"}},{"type":"pullQuote","data":{"articleConfig":{},"inlineId":"4376374d-3444-4d78-9911-9561b9c40f0d","contributors":[{"name":"Hercules Emilio","affiliate":"a senior conservation officer"}],"text":"We understand at the end of the day, we're doing 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<a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/australia-aboriginal-women-fire-management \" target=\"_blank\">Aboriginal women are reclaiming traditions of fire in Australia</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenland-inughuit-hunters-narwhals\" target=\"_blank\">What Inughuit hunters in Greenland can teach us about the revered narwhal</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mongolia-land-conservation-indigenous\" target=\"_blank\">Mongolia became a global leader in conservation by returning to its Indigenous roots</a><br>• <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ecuador-amazonia-cofan-land-guardians \" target=\"_blank\">‘This is Cofán land’: the fight to save Amazonia in Ecuador from intruders</a><br><br>And discover more of our <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">“Indigenous Futures” special issue for July</a>.","description":"Indigenous peoples protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to the World Bank. These four communities are also shaping the future.","inlineId":"5bfb0814-424c-4430-8e22-76d8c8396b6b","richTextElement":"div"}},{"type":"image","data":{"disableFullscreen":false,"articleConfig":{"alignXxs":"full","align":"full","gridDisplayMode":"none"},"image":{"id":"Indigenous Conservation MM9662- Diver Spearfishing Underwater","showCopyright":"Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.","alt":"man in a blue t-shirt and swim shorts wears a blue snorkel mask and black diving fins underwater. 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The remaining waters around the reef are closed to harvesting.","lines":3,"showMoreText":"Read More","showLess":false},"ratio":"3x2"}},{"type":"pullQuote","data":{"articleConfig":{},"inlineId":"b13b82a3-b7f8-4e99-8adb-4989631a71d8","contributors":[{"name":"Wayne Andrew","affiliate":"Micronesia director at OneReef"}],"text":"Community is not people alone. Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all of that is so important."},"options":{"PullQuote":{"hasQuotationMark":false}}},{"type":"editorsNote","data":{"articleConfig":{"align":"full"},"body":"An ecologist and author of <i>The Archipelago of Hope</i>, <b>Gleb Raygorodetsky</b> covered conservation efforts in Greenland and Palau this month. An ally of Indigenous peoples, he lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 territory. Find him on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gleb_raygorodetsky/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram</a>.<br><br>Based in Seattle and of Hèzhé (Nanai) and Chinese descent, <b>Kiliii Yüyan</b> is a photographer who focuses on Indigenous land stewardship, which he documents in this issue. An Explorer since 2021, he chronicled Indigenous sovereignty for a <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/north-americas-native-nations-reassert-their-sovereignty-feature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2022 cover story</a>. Come see Kiliii in person at a National Geographic Live show. Visit <a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">natgeo.com/events</a><a href=\"http://natgeo.com/events.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">.</a><br><br>The nonprofit National Geographic Society, working to conserve Earth’s resources, helped fund this story and the four additional Stewardship articles in this issue.<br><br>This story appears in the <a href=\"https://nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/july-2024\" target=\"_blank\">July 2024 special issue on \"Indigenous Futures\"</a> of <i>National Geographic</i> magazine.","header":null,"inlineId":"070364c6-9653-4276-9dc7-77e13d752132"}}],"Blockquote":{"disableQuotationMark":true,"simple":true},"datelineSeparator":"—","stripBr":false,"className":"PrismArticleBody SingleColumn","hideReadTime":true},"dataConstructorMap":{},"topComponents":[{"name":"PrismArticleLead","data":{"alignCaptionToBody":true,"colorMode":"dark","ctaSize":"m","description":"The Hatohobei people's innovative protections ensure a reef's health for generations to come.","disableForMobile":true,"enableBackgroundColor":true,"focalPointX":"center","focalPointY":"center","hasByline":false,"image":{"caption":{"source":"","text":"The only human residents on Helen Island, a narrow sandbar at the northern edge of the atoll, are the rangers stationed there to protect its wildlife. 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