Photo: PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP
Palau has raised the issue of its prized jellyfish and the economic impact of losing millions of them, during talks at Cop27 in Egypt.
The country's president, Surangel Whipps Jr, said extreme heat has killed more than 30 million of the animals in Jellyfish Lake.
Whipps said this was the third known event after it also happened in 1997 and 2017, and each time the jellyfish disappeared for two years.
He said Palau was at risk of losing a critical component of its tourism industry, further decimating its economy.
Snorkelling in Jellyfish Lake is a popular activity for tourists to Palau.
Neither of the two species living in the lake, golden jellyfish and moon jellyfish, possess stings that can be especially harmful to humans.
Jellyfish Lake is currently the only one of Palau's marine lakes open to tourists.
Whipps also highlighted sea level rise, droughts, and issues with food security, at the summit in Egypt.