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World’s Largest Protected Marine Area
US president George W. Bush created the largest protected marine area in the world recently when he designated the 1,200-mile-long Northwestern Hawaiian Islands chain and surrounding waters as a national monument.
The region is home to some 7,000 marine species, at least a quarter of which are unique to the area.
At nearly the size of California, the monument will be larger than all of the country's national parks combined. Fishing in the largely uninhabited islands will be phased out over the next five years, though some groups plan to fight a complete fishing ban.
Enviros joined marine scientists in appreciation over the move. Bush is said to have been inspired by a PBS documentary about the ocean region.
Protected area (PA) is an “area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.”
Protected areas are managed for a variety of reasons, which include: scientific research; wilderness protection; preservation of species and genetic diversity; maintenance of environmental services; protection of specific natural and cultural features; tourism and recreation; education; sustainable use of resources from natural ecosystems; and maintenance of cultural and traditional attributes.
The World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world's leading global network of protected area specialists.
Protected areas are essential for safeguarding our future. Without an effective network of protected areas benefits like clean air and water, fertile soils, inspiring landscapes and unique wildlife will be lost.
Over 44,000 protected areas provide people around the world with life-sustaining material, spiritual, and recreational values. PAs cover almost 13 per cent of the Earth's land surface. National parks, wilderness areas, multiple use and other types of reserves provide water, protect soils, and filter air. They offer materials from nature to meet the needs of local communities. PAs help balance the Earth's climate, provide nutrients to the production of food and fibre, and mitigate the impacts of major storms and other catastrophic natural events.
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