PRESIDENT George W. Bush has gone green. Or rather, deep blue. On 15 June he turned 340,000 square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean around the north-west Hawaiian Islands into the world鈥檚 largest marine sanctuary 鈥� much to the joy of environmentalists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as important as the establishment of Yellowstone National Park,鈥� praised Fred Krupp, president of non-profit campaign group Environmental Defense, based in New York.
Included in the sanctuary are the coral-ringed tops of a chain of sunken seamounts stretching 2000 kilometres to the north-west of Hawaii鈥檚 northernmost populated island, Kauai. All are uninhabited except for Midway Atoll, once the site of a major US naval base and scene of a bloody battle during the second world war.
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鈥淭he sanctuary is one of the most intact tropical marine ecosystems on the planet鈥�
The area is one of the most intact tropical marine ecosystems left on the planet. Under Bush鈥檚 plan, over 7000 species living in the area, including the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and threatened green sea turtles, will be protected from sport and commercial fishing.
However, Stephanie Fried of Environmental Defense warns that 鈥渢he devil is in the details鈥�. If research and educational boats are permitted, for example, they could bring considerable human activity to the reserve. These details will be finalised after a 60-day consultation period.
