“In Palau, the environment is the economy.” – Steven Victor - The Nature Conservancy

USC IBEAR Business Class

In this two-part series, Business Class explores the business policies on the small island nation of Palau. We hear that choosing to protect the nation’s environment is a long term business decision. In Part 1 - we talk tuna. We learn how small countries of the region formed an alliance to protect tuna stocks in their waters from the fishing giants of the world. We also explore Palau’s business model of protecting and enhancing coral reefs to attract high-value SCUBA diving tourists. We study what happens when a country manages the environment as its primary business asset. We spoke with Steven Victor, the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia Program. In Part 2 we look at Palau’s business model of local farming and fishing, and see that no matter the size – a business faces the same questions and problems.