Bush proposes marine reserve for Marianas, American Samoa, other isles
Advertiser News Services
CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush today proposed protecting three remote island chains, launching a marine conservation effort that could be one of the largest in history.
Bush is considering conserving parts of the northern Mariana Islands, Rose Atoll in American Samoa and various islands and reefs in the Central Pacific, including Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Howland Island, Baker Island, and Wake Island.
The president signaled his intentions in a memo to members of his Cabinet and is now awaiting their advice on how to provide additional protection to the island chains. The archipelagos are home to a diverse array of fish, birds and other marine species that are rapidly vanishing elsewhere in the world, the memo said.
"These areas are host to some of the world's most bio-diverse coral reefs and habitat, and some of the most interesting and compelling geological formations in all of our oceans," White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where Bush is on vacation at his ranch.
The president has a range of ways to order environmental protection, with varying restrictions on development and fishing. In his memo, Bush did not indicate what type of protection would be offered for the three marine habitats under consideration.
Bush also made clear that he would protect the rights of the Department of Defense, which has active bases on two of the islands.
The conservation effort could be completed before Bush leaves office.
Environmentalists responded to the announcement as a hopeful sign.
While an assortment of activities including commercial fishing, oil and gas exploration and deep sea mining could be allowed, barring extractive activities "would be one of the most significant environmental achievements" of any president, said Joshua S. Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group.
In June 2006, Bush designated a huge swath of the Northwestern Islands as a national marine monument. It is the largest conservation area in the world.
Comment: From this article, it appears that the entire Central Pacific Ocean that straddles the North & South Pacific Oceans will become an environmental conservation area! Largest will become humongous! Clearly, President Bush will go down in history as the Environmental President!
Ps: The area covered by this environmentally-protected zone would exceed that of most of North America!
The following editorial appeared in Tuesday's Washington Post:
Yes, you read that right. A man whose administration doesn't exactly have a green seal of approval from environmentalists will grant monument status today to three vast and breathtaking areas teeming with marine life in the South Pacific. Combined with other designations over the past eight years, including the creation of a 138,000-square-mile marine national monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands two years ago, Mr. Bush has now protected more ocean habitat (333,000 square miles) than any of his predecessors.
Mr. Bush is using the American Antiquities Act to protect more than 195,000 square miles of marine habitat. This 1906 law gives the president the power to designate as national monuments any landmarks and other structures with historic or scientific value. Because Mr. Bush chose this route, as he did two years ago with the Hawaii designation, his action takes effect immediately, without a lengthy bureaucratic review under the federal marine sanctuaries law.
The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument includes 21 active underwater volcanoes, geothermal vents and the Mariana Trench. James L. Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, noted during a media call this week that the trench is five times longer than the Grand Canyon and deeper, at its deepest point, than Mount Everest is tall. The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument encompasses five widely dispersed reefs, atolls and islands that are home to seabirds, migratory birds, turtles and an abundance of predatory fish, such as sharks. And, according to Mr. Connaughton, the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument in American Samoa boasts "some of the broadest extent of live coral cover on the Earth."
The ecosystems and geological formations that will now be protected from exploitation or disturbance will preserve the environment and some species that are disappearing in other parts of the world. Equally important, the national monuments will provide a platform for scientific discovery, particularly as the impact of climate change on the oceans becomes more apparent. "These locations are truly among the last pristine environments on Earth," Mr. Connaughton said. And thanks to Mr. Bush's action this week, they will remain that way.
Comment: Bush is making Teddy Roosevelt appear insignificant in the realm of conservation!
Northwestern Hawaiian isles might get U.N. designation
By Craig Gima
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 07, 2009
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands could become the second United Nations World Heritage site in Hawaii, joining Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The United States will nominate the marine monument, along with George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, President Bush said yesterday.
The two sites are the first submissions from the U.S. in 15 years. There are 21 UN heritage sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and the Statue of Liberty.
If accepted by the United Nations, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will join 878 sites in 145 countries already recognized for their cultural and natural heritage significance.
Native Hawaiian fisherman William Aila said the UNESCO designation for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument has both natural history and cultural value. The designation would "put it on a much higher pedestal in terms of importance to the world."
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands could become the second United Nations World Heritage site in Hawaii, joining Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The United States will nominate the marine monument, along with George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, President Bush said yesterday.
The two sites are the first submissions from the U.S. in 15 years. There are 21 UN heritage sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and the Statue of Liberty.
If accepted by the United Nations, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will join 878 sites in 145 countries already recognized for their cultural and natural heritage significance.
Native Hawaiian fisherman William Aila said the UNESCO designation for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument has both natural history and cultural value. The designation would "put it on a much higher pedestal in terms of importance to the world."
Comment: President Bush will receive more recognition for his conservationist efforts!
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