George W. Bush declares green zone in the Pacific

3:20 AM Tue 6 Jan 2009 GMT

'Marine parks aim to protect the flora and fauna of the oceans and waterways.' ARC Centre of Excellence Coral Reef Studies &copy Click Here to view large photo

In his final days as US President, George W. Bush will announce the creation of the world's largest marine protection area spanning some 195,000 square miles (505,000 sq km) in the Pacific Ocean.

The three areas to be designated as 'marine national monuments' include the Mariana Trench and northern Mariana Islands, the Rose Atoll located in American Samoa and a chain of remote islands in the Central Pacific.

Establishing marine national monuments aims to ensure that certain resources are protected, such as rare fish and bird species, coral reefs and underwater active volcanoes, said a top Bush aide on the environment.

Among the protected areas are the 1,500 mile-long (2,400-kilometer) Marianas Trench, including submerged active volcanoes and hydrothermal vents that run along the Marianas Island chain, an area that contains the deepest point on Earth.

The Pacific Remote Islands National Monument will comprise areas with coral reef ecosystems that are home to sharks, endangered turtles and millions of seabirds off seven areas: Kingman Reef; Palmyra Atoll; Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands; and Johnston Atoll; and Wake Island.

Finally, the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument will be named around a small but dense coral reef known for its pink shade at Rose Atoll, a remote area around American Samoa.

For scientists, the designations are 'wonderful opportunities. You don't get a better natural laboratory than we have in these places,' said Roger McManus, vice president for global marine programs at the environmental group Conservation International.

'What we have in these islands is a natural laboratory to understand how humans affect coral reefs,' said McManus.
Naming them as marine monuments 'will do a lot to protect the coral reefs and also do a lot restore fish populations in the regions,' McManus said.

by Jeni Bone

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