Record Setting 195,000 Square Miles of Pacific Ocean Protected by Bush Administration
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 01. 6.09
Coconut crabs are among the species inhabiting one of the newly proposed marine preserves. Photo: Mila Zinkova via Wikipedia
Though the outgoing Bush administration seems like it has done its darnest to vandalize the environment, sometimes something good comes out of unlikely quarters. Announced today, three newly proposed marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean would create protected ecosystems nearly 50% larger than all US National Parks combined. The total area to be protected will be 195,000 square miles. These are the three new marine monument areas:
US Pacific Remote Islands
This uninhabited island chain (sometimes called the Line Islands) consisting of Palmyra, Kingman, Johnston, Jarvis, Howland and Baker Islands, contains large numbers of coral reefs and is home to vast numbers of migratory seabirds.
Northern Mariana Islands
Encompassing the area containing the Mariana Trench (the deepest canyon in the world, five times deeper than the Grand Canyon), this protected area would cover uninhabited islands. These volcanic islands contain coral reefs, are the home of over two dozen species of seabirds, endangered and threatened sea turtles, marine mammals and giant coconut crabs.
Rose Atoll
In American Samoa, at slightly less than 53 acres in size, Rose Atoll is one of the smallest atolls on the planet. Protection for this area was requested by the Governor of Samoa.
Speaking in anticipation of the announcement, President and CEO of Ocean Conservancy (one of Planet Green’s NGO partners, it should be noted) said,
President Bush has acted on the opportunity to carry on for the ocean what President Theodore Roosevelt began when he created the National Park system.Our ocean is under a great deal of pressure from extractive and destructive activities. Areas like these that are protected from stress can more easily adapt to larger threats, such as climate change and the acidification of ocean water caused by excess carbon dioxide. In the face of all these challenges nations, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and thousands of scientists have called for ten to twenty percent of the world’s oceans to be fully protected before it is too late.
More at: Ocean Conservancy
National Parks, Marine Conservation
The Year Ahead in 2008: Making Ocean and Coastal Conservation a Priority
Many of World’s Coral Reefs Will Be Gone by 2050
Midnight Rule-Change Opens National Parks to Mountain Bikes
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
Glad he's doing a good deed or two before heading out. On a side note, those are the craziest looking crabs (aside from horseshoe crabs that just creep me out) that I've ever seen!
That's nice and it never would have happened if there was a single constituent who stood to lose a dollar from the protection of those remote areas. The damage done by Bush's environmental stonewalling, scientific dishonesty and craven industrial pimping will remain his real legacy. I mean that in the nicest possible way.
WOW! Lets all buy into this last chance to look good huh! I mean lets see,...he MURDERD MORE THAN 1,000,000,000 PEOPLE AND DESTROYED MORELIFE THAN ANY KNOW HUMAN BEING ON PLANET EARTH IN HIS TIME AS A RULER,...HMMM YEAH LETS SAY SOOMETHING "NICE " ABOUT HIM!!!!
Give me a break!!!
I am seriously wondering if I should even ever click on TREEHUGGER ever again because of this story??
how has Bush done his darndest to vandalize the environment. I would like a few examples please.
Yes, he needs some positive PR to fall back on so that he can plunder Alaska.
Hmm..is it possible for GW make his presidency look good with less than a month to go.
"Though the outgoing Bush administration seems like it has done its darnedest..." A swing and a miss!
Move along, folks.... There's no seeming going on here. This administration's environmental record is nothing short of criminal, and has left a considerable amount of irreparable damage which is yet to be tallied.
Other than that, what Anon said.
Myself was wondering if Bush would have taken this action, if his cronies in industry where able to make a buck in or off these areas. Where these "parks" are too distant for crowds from the mainland to be able to impact the areas, this is a just for show and, of course the corporate media is labeling him the environmental President. Forgetting he refuse to protect marine life off Puerto Rico, if I recall correctly.
Of course the Bush admin could care less about pollution and the envirnoment. Pay attention!
To see that the Bush Admin is helping out here is an oxy moron, but I am glad to see it. I guess he is afraid to go down as worse president ever??
Leave Alaska alone please!!! No drilling!!
What protections does making these vast areas "a marine national monument" actually mean in a practical sense?
Does it mean other nations will not be able to dump their nuclear waste down the mariana's trench?
Does it mean the US Navy will chase away whaleing ships or factory fishing boats?
Does it mean the US or UN will have the right to issue licenseing for fishing or sailing in those areas?
Well what is really going to be done?