Summary/History
Palau (officially the Republic of Palau) consists of over 580 islands in the Western part of the Pacific Ocean, geographically forming part of Micronesia (Office of Planning and Statistics, Republic of Palau, 2005; Palau Conservation Society, 2007). Despite being settled by humans around 3,000 years ago the Republic of Palau has a recent history of changing rule with Spain, Germany, Japan and the USA all claiming rule at some point between 1885 and the gaining of full sovereignty in 1994 (www.palaugov.net). The Palau Conservation Society has identified eight terrestrial Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of which two

National priorities
o Removal of invasive species from islands where seabird colonies occur (Sherley, 2001; Palau Conservation Society, 2010)
o Strengthen the protection of the marine environment (Palau Conservation Society, 2010)
o Work with communities to ensue sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources (Palau Conservation Society, 2010)
o Increase the protected area network to include identified Important Bird Area sites (Palau Conservation Society, 2010)
o Continue the Ranger programme at Helen Island
o Conduct a thorough survey of the Tropical Shearwater population nesting in the Rock Islands.

Government's support/relevant policy
The Republic of Palau is a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Ministry of Resources and Development is responsible for the implementation of the Palau Protected Areas Network. In 2006 the president committed to effectively conserve 20% of terrestrial resources (Koshiba, 2008). Please see policy tab for list of agreements that this country is party to.

References
o BirdLife International (2011) Rodent eradication in Palau shows early signs of success. Available at http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/09/rodent-eradication-in-palau-shows-early-signs-of-success/
o Kepler, A. (1992). Report on Terrestrial Flora and Fauna, Southwest Palau Islands Expedition, June 1-19, 1992. The Nature Conservancy: Koror, Palau.
o Kosihba, F. (2008) Forward. IN: Palau Conservation Society (eds.) Important Bird Areas in Palau: protecting Palau's natural heritage. Koror: Republic of Palau. page iv.
o Office of Planning and Statistics, Republic of Palau (2005) 2005 census of population and housing of the Republic of Palau, volume 1: basic tables. Koror: Palau.
o Palau Conservation Society (2007) A future built on tradition, our second decade of conservation: Palau Conservation Society 2005 and 2006 achievements and activities report. Koror: Republic of Palau.
o Palau Conservation Society (2008) Important Bird Areas in Palau: protecting Palau's natural heritage. Koror: Republic of Palau.
o Palau Conservation Society (2010) Strategic plan 2010