A small island nation can have a big impact on the ocean," he said ahead of a ceremony yesterday to officially sign off on the reserve. "Island communities have been among the hardest hit by the threats facing the ocean. Creating this sanctuary is a bold move that the people of Palau recognise as essential to our survival. " The archipelago, which is part of the larger island group of Micronesia in the west Pacific, has a population of just 18,000. The sanctuary will be phased in over five years, eventually leaving only a relatively small area of Palau's waters open to fishing by locals but not the foreign trawlers which dominates the Pacific industry.