Creating a Vast Undersea 'Wilderness Area' in Hawaii

Creating a Vast Undersea 'Wilderness Area' in Hawaii
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/page.cfm?tagID=85


In the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, we helped safeguard an area larger than all of America's national parks

Lying 1,200 miles northwest of Honolulu, the Pearl and Hermes Reef ranks among the world's most isolated places. Here wildlife reigns: Green sea turtles, big as overturned wheelbarrows, share the beach with some 160,000 seabirds, including one-fifth of the world's black-footed albatrosses.

The atoll, forming a 15-milewide circle of coral around the site of a sunken volcano, is just one of the jewels of the biologically rich Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This year a coalition built by Environmental Defense and local allies helped win permanent protection for the islands, creating the world's largest marine protected area.

President Bush declared the islands a national monument in 2006, safeguarding 84 million acres of marine wilderness -- an area larger than all of America's national parks combined. "This is huge," says our president Fred Krupp, who took the case for the islands' protection directly to the president in April. "It's as important as the establishment of Yellowstone."

Efforts to protect this ocean jewel began a hundred years ago

The designation fulfills a legacy begun by Theodore Roosevelt a century ago, when he declared the area a national wildlife refuge, and culminates a long effort by Environmental Defense and local allies. "The monument is an extraordinary victory for the environment and for the recognition of Native Hawaiian cultural practices," says our scientist Dr. Stephanie Fried, who has worked on the issue for nearly a decade.

National monument status gives the archipelago the highest level of government protection. Fishing will be phased out in five years and coral mining prohibited. The area will remain open to Hawaiians for traditional uses and for scientific research.

The region's coral reefs and atolls support more than 7,000 species, including endangered Hawaiian monk seals. One quarter of the species are found nowhere else.

Islands imperiled by overfishing and pollution
Despite their remoteness from population centers, the islands show signs of ecological stress. Among the first to voice concern was Louis "Uncle Buzzy" Agard, a respected elder who first fished the area in the 1940s. He soon noticed fish disappearing. "I realized I was helping destroy this unique place," he says. In recent years, research vessels have added to the problem by dumping raw sewage in the area.

Fried teamed up with Agard and others to develop a network of Native Hawaiians, fishermen, divers, scientists and local activists to promote protections. Together, we helped place the issue on the agenda in Washington.

Mobilizing native Hawaiians, fishermen and other stakeholders
Our coalition mobilized citizens to speak at more than 100 public meetings and to send more than 100,000 messages to officials. In 2000, we convinced President Clinton to designate the area as an ecosystem reserve. We also persuaded Governor Linda Lingle to withdraw her initial opposition and champion protections such as a ban on fishing in adjacent state waters.

Bush's action builds on those earlier efforts. "The 'elder' islands are a nursery for the entire region," says Agard. "Without Environmental Defense, these protections never would have happened. "Our work, however, isn't over. Monitoring will be crucial to ensure development andenforcement of strong regulations.

Still, it's a time to celebrate. Adds Agard: "This gives me hope that my grandchildren will actually see the marine life I saw, without having to read about it in a book."

From the 2006 Annual Report [PDF]

Posted: 09-Jan-2006; Updated: 06-Aug-2007



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Find Out More

A Marine Treasure in Hawaii Is Protected 06/16/2006 President Bush creates vast ocean refuge to preserve rare sea animals and corals.

Hawaii Protects a Marine Treasure 10/07/2005 Rare monk seals and ancient coral reefs will benefit from a new marine refuge in the shallow waters of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Recently Imperiled, A Slice of Paradise Is Saved 10/07/2005 From July-August 2005

Solutions newsletter
Bush Administration Reviewing Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve 07/23/2001
Native Hawaiians Urge Clinton To Protect Pristine Island Area With National Monument 11/01/2000


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