In the last five years, I can count on one hand the number of times environmental groups have come together to praise a new policy by President Bush -- and that one hand was probably making a fist. So for the ocean conservation community to be celebrating the president's announcement today, you know this is a VERY big deal.
George W. Bush is designating the world's largest fully protected marine reserve -- 84 million acres to be exact. A biologically rich string of islands known as the Northwestern Hawaii Islands (NWHI) will now enjoy complete federal protection from commercial fishing activities as a new National Monument. This is fantastic news for the seals, turtles, albatrosses, sharks, corals, and other marine life that call these waters home, and a strange, welcome, happy, confusing moment for conservationists everywhere. Congratulations to our colleagues who worked so hard to make this happen, including the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Ocean Conservancy, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Environmental Defense, and especially all the groups in Hawaii. Read all about it.
Three cheers for President Bush
Hawaii Islands Win Unprecedented Protection 5
Read More About
Andrew Sharpless is the CEO of Oceana, the world’s largest international nonprofit dedicated to ocean conservation. Visit www.oceana.org.
Add a Comment
You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.
Comments
View as Flat
Gary Posted 4:59 am
15 Jun 2006
Permalink
Biodiversivist Posted 5:55 am
15 Jun 2006
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com
Permalink
SMLowry Posted 9:50 am
15 Jun 2006
Permalink
caniscandida Posted 1:15 pm
15 Jun 2006
But sure, yes indeed, this national monument is undeniably very good news, and all sensible people will be grateful to Bush for planting his signature where he was asked to sign.
Pity, though, that the day's other major ocean-biodiversity-related news, much more ominous, did not get as much coverage: the Japanese seem to have all their ducks in a row at the International Whaling Commission pow-wow in San Juan, and so at this point it looks pretty inevitable that restrictions on whaling will be lifted.
Permalink
EllenL Posted 11:03 am
23 Jul 2007
//
var l=new Array();
var output = '';
l[0]='>';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[37]='\"';l[38]=' 115';l[39]=' 117';l[40]=' 46';l[41]=' 105';l[42]=' 104';l[43]=' 46';l[44]=' 105';l[45]=' 105';l[46]=' 97';l[47]=' 119';l[48]=' 97';l[49]=' 104';l[50]=' 46';l[51]=' 111';l[52]=' 99';l[53]=' 64';l[54]=' 121';l[55]=' 110';l[56]=' 111';l[57]=' 109';l[58]=' 105';l[59]=' 116';l[60]=' 115';l[61]=' 101';l[62]=' 116';l[63]=' 108';l[64]=' 105';l[65]=' 99';l[66]=' 110';l[67]=' 117';l[68]=' 111';l[69]=' 99';l[70]=':';l[71]='o';l[72]='t';l[73]='l';l[74]='i';l[75]='a';l[76]='m';l[77]='\"';l[78]='=';l[79]='f';l[80]='e';l[81]='r';l[82]='h';l[83]='a ';l[84]='
Permalink