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President Bush's Proposal to Protect Vast Pacific Coral Reefs President Bush is evalutating potential sites to make national monuments
President Bush has directed his Administration to consider protecting a number of very large, ecologically significant ocean areas. The sites include remote Central Pacific Islands and their surrounding waters, and the world’s smallest atoll in American Samoa. Marine Conservation Biology Institute and Environmental Defense Fund have worked together for nearly two years to encourage the Bush Administration to protect these areas from continued threats to ocean life. The proposed Central Pacific Islands include eight remote island possessions and territories and surrounding waters in the Central Pacific – Rose Atoll, Wake Island, Johnston Island, Palmyra Island, Kingman Reef, Baker Island, Howland Island, and Jarvis Island – would include some of the most pristine tropical islands and coral reef ecosystems in the world. Any one of these islands contains nearly four times as many shallow water reef building coral species as the entire Florida Keys, hundreds of fish species, and dozens of species of seabirds. Migrating fish, turtles, birds and marine mammals frequent the islands, including endangered and threatened green and hawksbill sea turtles, whales, and large migratory fish. Some of these islands are also important to Polynesian and Micronesian, military and aviation history. If protected to their fullest extent, the eight Central Pacific Islands would comprise the largest protected area on earth.
Questions and Input: At any time, the public can provide input on this issue to: The Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality
For questions about the President’s Action please click here. If you have any further questions, contact our policy office at (202) 546-5346.
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