The tiny island states of the Pacific are stepping up to the plate.
The Republic of Kiribati announced on Tuesday the creation of the world's third largest marine protected area. At 73,800 square miles, the reserve is roughly the size of the state of Washington.
More below. (right, flag of Kiribati)
The new MPA surrounds the Phoenix Islands, the group in the middle of the map at left (click to enlarge). The only larger MPA's are the Great Barrier Reef and the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve (NWHICRER - blame Bill Clinton for the long name, but credit him for creating the reserve).
The announcement came at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Curitiba, Brazil. Environmental News Network has the best write-up:
Pacific Islands Paradise Protected
With eight atolls and two submerged reef systems, the nearly uninhabited Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) . . . . contains a near pristine coral archipelago with abundant marine and bird life, and is the first marine protected area in the region with deep-sea habitat, including underwater mountains.
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Protecting the Phoenix Islands means restricting commercial fishing in the area, resulting in a loss of revenue that the Kiribati government would normally receive from issuing foreign commercial fishing licenses. However, an innovative plan will compensate Kiribati for these lost revenues.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed by the Republic of Kiribati, the New England Aquarium and Conservation International, management and enforcement of the Phoenix Islands Protection Area will be financed through an endowment system that will cover the core recurring management costs and compensate the Kiribati government for the foregone commercial fishing license revenues. The plan allows for subsistence fishing by resident communities and other sustainable economic development in designated zones of the protected area.
(links are to the organizations' involvement in the MPA project)
Studies of the Phoenix Islands by the New England Aquarium have found 120 species of coral and 520 species of fish, some unique to the atolls. The region is also a nesting site for sea birds.
A beautiful Phoenix Islands Image Gallery from the NEA. Large images!
The Micronesia Challenge
Another Pacific initiative was announced at Curitiba. Nature Conservancy, Conservation International Pledge $6 Million to Protect Pacific Islands
The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International (CI) committed US$6 million toward conservation across Micronesia, a region in the Pacific Ocean stretching from Hawaii to the Philippines. The pledge was a direct response to commitments by six Micronesian nations and territories to protect a total combined marine and terrestrial area of almost 200,000 hectares, twice the size of Portugal.
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"Our pledge is inspired by the leadership shown by Micronesian islands in committing to the establishment of protected areas," said Steve McCormick, President of The Nature Conservancy, referring to the Micronesia Challenge to protect 30 percent of near-shore marine resources and 20 percent of terrestrial resources on their islands by 2020. "We now challenge others - governments, funders, communities and NGOs - to join this rising tide and support these islands as they strive to protect the natural resources on which they depend. We encourage other nations to make similar commitments and when they do The Nature Conservancy will be there to help."
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President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. of Palau hosted the ministerial-level dinner and commended both organizations on their efforts: "The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International are demonstrating the kind of partnership and catalytic action that we hoped our actions would create," he said. "These kinds of pledges from the international community, coupled with tangible community, state and national commitments to conservation, are critical ingredients to achieving our national and global protected area goals."
The Micronesia Challenge includes Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Nature Conservancy notes an early response to its Micronesia Challenge from the Caribbean:
Inspired by its Micronesian counterparts in the Pacific, the Caribbean nation of Grenada pledged to put 25 percent of near-shore marine and 25 percent of terrestrial resources under effective conservation by 2020. The Declaration, approved by Grenada's Cabinet, will lead to a nine-fold increase in the total area of protection in Grenada's marine environment and more than double protection of its terrestrial environment.