"The trouble with modernity is how efficiently it obliterates the
troves of age-old knowledge otherwise known as wisdom. The good news
from Palau, a Pacific island nation near the Philippines, is that some
wise old ways have reasserted themselves to the great benefit of that
tiny republic’s fish and reefs, and the people who depend on them.
Under an ancient system of laws known throughout the South Pacific as
tabu or kapu, rulers would forbid fishing in certain areas to let them
recover from overuse. Their decisions relied on deep knowledge of
seasons and of the habits of fish and plants, and were strictly obeyed
by islanders, who understood that depletion of fisheries meant death.
Overfishing by local fishermen, commercial boats and poachers using
dynamite has been as much a problem in Palau as elsewhere in the
Pacific. Then elders in Ngiwal, a state of Palau, banned fishing on a
small section of reef in 1994. It took only a few years for fish to
return.
Palau now protects 460 square miles of reefs and lagoons, and
its reputation for recreational diving is unmatched.
In 2005, Palau’s president, Tommy Remengesau Jr., issued the
“Micronesian challenge,” calling on the region to conserve 30 percent
of coastal waters and 20 percent of land by 2020. Fiji, the Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu have created hundreds of “no take” zones. [...].”"
Pacific Miracles - New York Times: Mais sobre este tópico neste blogue (pesquisa - canto superior direito - sob "reservas", ou sob a etiqueta "mar").
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