19 October 2011, Changwon Korea - Ms. Madelsar Ngraingas is the Sustainable Land Management Project Coordinator of the Office of PALARIS - Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Industries and Commerce. She is the sole delegate representing Palau at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
Q. What has been the main issue 
for Palau at this 10th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification?
The harmonisation of requirements and sufficient distribution of resources across the 3 Rio conventions (UNCCD, Convention on Biological Diversity and Convention of the Framework of Climate Change) is of great interest to us in Palau. Another thing is to find out how we can move our current national land management priorities forward with the assistance of the UNCCD 10 year strategy.
For Palau, one of our key priorities is land use planning to avoid primarily the large sedimentation, soil erosion, coastal erosion that we are experiencing in the country. We are also interested in looking at the impacts of sea level rise and changing ocean temperatures as well as salt water intrusion in agricultural areas. What we would like to be able to do is make sure that the UNCCD ten year strategic plan is aligned with our national activities to maximise on the support offered by the convention as well as avoid unnecessary duplication.
Q. Why is it important for Palau to be at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD?
I am new to this convention, this is my first time, but I think the advantage of being a party to the UNCCD is that in this international setting, we can provide another perspective of some of the key issues faced by the Pacific.
Palau, for example, is concerned with and driven by sustainable development, that is, a balance between economic growth and effective management of our natural resources. Being here at this meeting and being a party to the UNCCD, which focuses on desertification, land degradation and drought, allows us to highlight our key issues in a global context, helping to ensure that adequate support and attention are given to Palau and the rest of the Pacific.
Image: L-R Ms. Madelsar Ngraingas (Palau), Ms. Cindy Ehmes (FSM)
More news and images from the UNCCD COP10 in Korea available on the Bionesian blog.