Abstract
The Rock Islands of Palau’s Southern Lagoon in the Western Pacific are part of a tropical archipelago of 445 small, luxuriant, forested, raised limestone islands uplifted due to volcanism and shaped over time by wind and vegetation. It consists of scattered islands within a lagoon protected by a barrier reef, many of them displaying unique mushroom-like shapes. The site harbors the highest concentration of marine lakes in the world. They sustain a large diversity of plants, birds, and marine life. The terrestrial environment is lush and at the same time harsh, supporting numerous endemic and endangered species. The islands contain a significant set of cultural remains relating to an occupation over some 5000 years that ended in abandonment in the 17th and 18th centuries. For this reason, the area was designated as a mixed cultural and natural site.
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Claudino-Sales, V. (2019). Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, Palau. In: Coastal World Heritage Sites. Coastal Research Library, vol 28. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1528-5_56
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1528-5_56
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