World | USA
Pacific island chains to be made marine sanctuary
Parts of three remote and uninhabited Pacific island chains are being set aside by President George W. Bush as national monuments to protect them from oil and gas extraction and commercial fishing in what will be the largest marine conservation effort in history.
- AP
- Published: 23:58 January 6, 2009
Washington: Parts of three remote and uninhabited Pacific island chains are being set aside by President George W. Bush as national monuments to protect them from oil and gas extraction and commercial fishing in what will be the largest marine conservation effort in history.
The three areas - totaling about 505,760 square kilometres - include the Mariana Trench and the waters and corals surrounding three uninhabited islands in the Northern Mariana Islands, Rose Atoll in American Samoa and seven islands strung along the equator in the central Pacific Ocean.
Each location harbours unique species and some of the rarest geological formations on Earth - from the world's largest land crab to a bird that incubates its eggs in the heat of underwater volcanoes.
Nesting ground
In Pago Pago, American Samoa, the US territory's Governor Togiola T.A. Tulafono said on Monday that the designation of Rose Atoll as a national monument will attract research scientists.
Rose Atoll is home to giant 26-metre-tall trees and is a vital nesting ground for threatened green sea turtles and endangered hawksbill sea turtles. It is the smallest atoll in the world with only about eight hectares of land.
All the newly designated islands will be protected as national monuments - the same status afforded to statues and cultural sites - under the 1906 Antiquities Act.
However, recreational fishing, tourism and scientific research with a federal permit could still occur inside the three areas. The designations will also not conflict with US military activities or freedom of navigation, White House officials said.
"These locations are truly among the last pristine areas in the marine environment on Earth," said James Connaughton, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, who added the resources the administration wanted preserved would be fully protected.
The president plans to make the designation official at a ceremony at the White House. It will be the second time Bush has used the law to protect marine resources.
Two years ago, the president made a huge swath of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument, barring fishing, oil and gas extraction and tourism from its waters and coral reefs.
News Editor's choice
-
6,000 cups and counting: Addicted to that tea
This cafeteria in Al Mamzar attracts thousands of customers daily, including the rich and not so rich
-
Swimming pool horror: Twins hospitalised
Twins rushed to hospital after collapsing from chlorine inhalation at swimming pool in their villa
-
Play your cards right with credit card interest
UAE Central Bank plans to cap interest rates, but are you paying thirty-five per cent now?
