Reflective Essay On Rock Island Southern Lagoon

John Manzione

Reflective essay

Mr. Ross

11/21/15

Rock Island Southern Lagoon

The Rock island southern lagoon is heightened by a complex reef system. The 445 uninhabited limestone islands are all volcanic origin. Many of the islands, displays unique mushroom like shapes in turquoise lagoons surrounded by coral reefs. The islands sustain a large, diverse city of plants, birds and marine life. There are the remains of stonework villages, as well as burial sites and the rock art. The abandonment of the villages in the 17th and 18th century illustrates the consequences of climate change.

The rocky islands first seemed like any other islands. The island looked to be isolated from any other location nearby. All the limestone islands are separated by coral reefs. Each island has its own turquoise lagoon to it. Outside of the island are deep waters surrounding

the coral reef. The tree is on every island make the mountains pop with a bright green color. The mushroom shaped islands have encrypted beautiful rock formations. The islands all looked to have outstanding features.
The limestone islands of southern Laguna are bombarded with wildlife. It has a diversity of marine habitats as well as volcanic habitats. There are 13 different types of sharks, over 700 different types of fish, over 300 different types of coral, and 7 species of giant clams. Five subspecies of Mastigias Papua jellyfish have been found in these waters and new discoveries are still being made both in the marine lakes and in the complex reef habitats. There are 52 lakes throughout the islands, meaning it has the highest concentration of marine lakes in the world, which contain two year old new species. The lakes are all unique in terms of number, the density of them, and the different variety of physical conditions. There is low fishing pressure, a limited amount of pollution and human impact. An exceptional variety of reef habitat makes the reefs a critical area for protection, including making it an area for important climate change adaptation and a potential source of larvae for reefs throughout the region. Each lake is different in the stages of ecological and geological development. These features show an outstanding example of how marine communities and ecosystems can develop. This makes the lakes a valuable part because they are seen as “natural laboratories” for scientific study of speciation and evolution. Some of the islands are more developed than others, and have different types of contact with the ocean. Some islands are more isolated compared to high connectivity with the oceans. The terrain environment is washed, but at the same time has, supporting numerous epidemics and endangered species. A barrier and fringing reefs, channels, tunnels, caves, arches, and coves are home to all of the wildlife. The dome shapes of the trees create a maze throughout the islands that float in a turquoise lagoon that is surrounded by many coral reefs. The forests include mammals, all of Palau’s endemic birds, different species of reptiles and amphibians, and half of Palau’s endemic plants, which make this area of the world have an exceptional conservation value. The islands cover 100,200 hectares, which is over 10 billion square feet. These 445 limestone islands have shaped over time due to weather, wind, and vegetation.
The islands are not inhabited by anyone today; they were once home to the Palauan settlements. The Palauan people still continue to use the islands for their cultural and recreational purposes today. This is regulated through a traditional governance system that remains an important part of the islands. Throughout 5,000 years, the islands contained an important set of cultural remains that related to an occupation that led to abandonment. There is rock art that is encrypted on three islands, Ngeruktabel, Ngeanges, and Chomedoki. Archaeological remains can be found on two of the islands, Ulong and Ngemelis. There are remains of former human occupation and use of the marine ecosystem in caves, including rock art and burials that date back to 3,100 BP. The work on these islands extends over 2500 years. There were stone villages where the people once lived on the islands that were occupied for several centuries until they were no longer used. The Palauan people identified their ancestral islands through oral stories that have recorded in the legends, myths, proverbs, and dances of the traditional places and seascapes of their former home.
The need for protection and conservation of wildlife created a legislative framework use of management throughout the islands.

This area is in Koror State and their management is of high respect and has well known standards. The management objectives and priorities are defined in the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon Management Plan. There is both a legislative framework and arrangements of management that are conductive to protect and maintain the values of the property. The Historical and Cultural Preservation Act of the Republic of Palau protects the cultural sites of the islands under Title 9 ‘Cultural Resources’. The long term protection and management's requirements for the property include the need of maintaining access restrictions to vulnerable areas for anyone other than the management, the prevention of negative impacts from tourism, ensuring visitor numbers are within the amount of capacity of the island properties, and mitigating adverse effects from development of infrastructure and facilities in

Koror.
In conclusion, the Rocky islands of southern lagoon are a perfect place to explore. The large variety of fish and coral reef are a complement to the Rock formations and abandoned villages that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. They provide an exceptional illustration of