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What is the pan fund?

Palau has a long history of community tenure and management of marine and terrestrial resources by local chiefs. However, traditional systems were increasingly stressed by local and global changes to the environment. Traditional knowledge and governance structures were weakening and chiefs were unable to apprehend illegal fishers and poachers. The global coral bleaching event of 1998 was a decisive moment as it became apparent that nationwide strategies were needed to increase resilience of marine ecosystems in the face of climate change. To address these concerns and to safe¬guard against future threats to livelihoods, culture and rich biodiversity, the govern¬ment implemented the Protected Areas Network, which is a countrywide system of connected protected areas in both terrestrial and marine environments.

The Republic of Palau created an independent non profit organization to serve as a financial trustee of the monies obtained to support the PAN to manage the funds from donations and arrival fees. This nonprofit organization is called the PAN Fund.

The PAN Fund is mandated to do the following:

  1. Seek outside funding sources for States' conservation and sustainable development efforts
  2. Leverage sources of outside funding through mechanisms such as the Micronesian Conservation Trust
  3. Ensure that outside funding is used for the purposes established by and required by outside donors

PAN Fund Process

The Pan Process

Nomination Process

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legislation

24 PNCA ss 3401 - Protected Areas Network

Annual reports

2012 PAN Fund Annual Report 2012 PAN Fund Annual Report

2013 PAN Fund Annual Report 2013 PAN Fund Annual Report

2016 PAN Fund Annual Report 2016 PAN Fund Annual Report

2016 PAN Fund Annual Report 2017 PAN Fund Annual Report

2016 PAN Fund Annual Report 2018 PAN Fund Annual Report

Stakeholder's Report

ANU Stakeholder's Report (12/22/15)

PAN Status Report

2015 PAN Fund Status Report 2015 PAN Status Report

2015 PAN Fund Status Report Appendix 2015 PAN Status Report Appendix

Threats & Challenges

To sustain the protected areas network, a financing mechanism was needed to support the management of the designated protected areas. Community and State buy-in were important to ensure that both resource owners and resource users supported the work of the protected areas network for the long-term sustainable management of the sites. Building institutional capacity on the implementation and reporting of resource management is a challenge in addition to the different management structures that exists from state to state.

Adaptive Management of PAN
Management of each PAN site is an ongoing cyclic process of team work .Good leadership within your PAN steering committee is essential with transparency at every step of the management cycle. The management cycle usually starts with determining the feasibility of your plan with a focus on its uniqueness and connectivity to other PAN sites. Collecting good data and establishing the right indicators takes time but is needed to determine if your management strategy is effective. Ongoing collection of biological, social and economic information is needed in an ever changing environment Regular monitoring and evaluation is critical to review existing plans and make adjustments based upon new findings or potential threats.

Lessons learned

One of the major lessons learned throughout the process of establishing and promoting the Protected Areas Network (PAN) and most likely in all work with resource management is the involvement of resources owners and users, especially local communities, in the process from inception to-date in the work of PAN. The communities’ involvement has helped shape the goals and process for PAN ensuring that PAN is working with stakeholders and incorporating their needs as well as resulting in increasing ownership of management plans, the implementation of such plans, and therefore support for PAN. Another major lesson learned is the Integration of local and traditional knowledge both of which continue to be important part of the work for PAN. The culture and history of Palau based on the principles of conservation was an ideal platform for the development of PAN.