Lake Ngardok is a
lake on the
Palauan island of
Babeldaob, in the State of
Melekeok. It is the largest natural freshwater lake in all of the islands of
Micronesia. The lake and the marshes surrounding it are a refuge for the endangered
saltwater crocodile (ius), and it is an important breeding location for them. The
Ngerdorch River serves as a route that connects crocodiles with the sea. The lake is approximately 493 hectares with an ecosystem that provides a habitat for plants, wildlife, and birds, some of which are found only in the
Palau Islands. These include the endemic
Palau fruit dove (
biib),
Palau fantail (
melimdelebdeb),
Micronesian imperial-pigeon (
belochel),
common moorhens and
Pacific black ducks (both called
debar),
Palau flycatcher (
charmelachull), and a
fruit bat species (
olik). The Chief Council of Melekeok State has established the Ngardok Nature Reserve to protect the watershed's slow degragating process, because the importance of the forests are critical to preserving the water quality in the lake. The lake however will soon be established as a reservoir for
Ngerulmud, Palau's new national capitol in Melekeok.