Tourists view a manta ray on a dive in Palau. Image by Peter Mumby.
Reducing tourist consumption of reef fish is critical for Palau’s ocean sustainability, finds CORU Fellows Colette Wabnitz (UBC) and Andrés Cisneros-Montemayor (UBC) in a new study published today in Marine Policy.
While climate change is expected to lead to sharp declines in Palau’s reefs, the best tourism management strategy includes a more than 70 per cent reduction in reef fish consumption by visitors. These findings are highly relevant for sustainable development in small island developing states under climate change.