Palau Northern Reefs 2019-2020 Progress Report

Since 2015, Global Conservation has been working with OneReef in Ngarchelong, Palau, to install and maintain a Marine Monitor (M2) system. OneReef overcame the logistical challenges that accompanied a lack of supporting infrastructure to pilot the M2 system in 2016-2017. After final installation in August 2019 and 6 months of concerted effort and investment by OneReef and state ranger teams, the M2 in Ngarchelong is operational over 95% of the time. It has collected and transmitted data consistently from Jan-March 2020.

“With various technical assistance, trainings, and collaboration with OneReef, Ngarchelong State Conservation and Law Enforcement is now more effective in conducting surveillance and patrol of our protected area, as well as outreach and awareness of our marine resources.” - Darwin Mista, Enforcement Director for Ngarchelong State

The Marine Monitor system (M2), developed by the Anthropocene Institute (AI), is a low-cost, radar-based monitoring platform for marine protected areas (MPAs). The M2 system uses off-the-shelf, commercially proven radars and open source software to enable managers of MPAs to track over 30 vessels simultaneously in their area in real time. 

Initial data collection revealed significant numbers of false tracks due to storm activity. AI expects the model’s detection confidence to improve within 1-2 months, which would help rangers to save time and resources. Next, OneReef plans to further integrate the M2 system into daily operations in Palau by accessing mobile alerts, matching response tactics to novel data, and aligning new protocols with ranger operations. Once this system is fully operational, it will help state rangers to save time and resources by improving the ability to monitor traffic in the MPA without expending fuel or manpower. Further, the visibility of the radar system itself may act as a deterrent to poaching. Even now, the local community is curious and frequently asks about it. 

The visibility of the radar system to local communities may help deter poaching.

A functional monitoring system is especially crucial given the recent news that conservation efforts in northern Palau may be backfiring. In 2015, Palau created a marine sanctuary that sprawls across 80% of its maritime territory, covering 500,000 sq. km, twice the size of Mexico. As the world’s sixth-largest fully protected area, this was hailed as a huge conservation win. (At the time this new sanctuary brought the total protected area of the earth’s oceans up to 1.9%, but scientists have said that we need to protect 30% in order to protect fish populations and ocean health.)

Counterintuitively, reef fish like these are at increased risk after the creation of Palau's marine sanctuary.

Now, five years on, Palau is seeing unintended consequences: commercial fishermen have left Palau’s waters due to the increased costs associated with avoiding the reserve, and Palau’s restaurants are consequently seeing a shortage in staples like tuna. As a result, they are instead serving vulnerable reef fish, the very species that the marine reserve is meant to protect. Though local fishermen have access to 20% of the reserve, some of it may be caught illegally. 

The best solution to this problem might be for the Palauan government to provide subsidies to local fishermen so that they can buy larger vessels that they can take further offshore, helping to develop a local tuna industry. Meanwhile, however, ensuring compliance with the marine reserve’s boundaries will be crucial. That’s where the M2 comes in.

Ngarchelong ranger training.

Troubleshooting Activities & Outcomes

From August 2019 to January 2020, OneReef conducted the following activities:

1. Purchased and connected two new marine batteries to M2 antenna charger
2. Assessed system wiring and configuration with local technician
3. Re-configured wires and secured antenna cable: M2 antenna system configuration stabilized and allowed isolation of further issues on the computer tracking/monitoring system.
4. Oriented to the M2 Viewer with AI
5. Assessed power and internet capacity in M2 container (where computer system is housed)
6. Purchased and installed UPS backup battery
7. Ran internet diagnostic (hired Info Tech specialist): Reconfigured internet wiring that resulted in a more stable internet connection.
8. Updated AI Software
9. Reconfigured electrical wiring in Ollei Ranger Station
10. Conferenced with AI to examine uptime data and diagnose remaining factors and share videos and photos of configuration on-site
11. Conducted ground truthing activities to verify the accuracy of the M2 system, clarify the capabilities of the radar, and verify the regions of the MPA the radar can monitor.

Ngarchelong rangers on a patrol boat.

"We have learned a lot during this pilot process and importantly, gained a better understanding of which sites in Micronesia will be suitable for future deployment. We look forward to discussing ways to sustainably support the M2 in Ngarchelong and identify other sites in Micronesia where the technology can reduce surveillance costs and increase enforcement and conservation effectiveness. Communities across Micronesia see a huge need for an affordable way to track human activities." -OneReef

Next Steps

1. Integrate M2 system protocols to Ngarchelong State Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement (NSDCLE) operations: Establish system maintenance schedule; develop basic protocol for responding to system disruption.
2. System validation: Evaluate alert system accuracy; evaluate tracking system accuracy; identify appropriate and/or relevant radar parameters; identify other useful system capabilities.
3. Schedule additional system operation sessions with AI, NSDCLE and OneReef: Understand full range of system capacity; have greater agency in interpreting data.

“The M2 Team was pleased with the ground truth test. The results were very similar to what we’ve observed in our past tests, but we do believe the system is picking up targets at a greater distance and more consistently then it did in the past, especially near the MPA. Over the next few months the M2 team will be working to improve the target confidence score prediction at the Ngarchelong location. We hope the target confidence scores will better inform which targets should be investigated.”– Samantha Cope, Anthropocene Institute

In addition to Palau, Global Conservation is scaling up M2 deployments in UNESCO World Heritage Parks like Jardines de la Reina in Cuba and Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park in Mexico.