SPOTLIGHT ON:
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Monument

New Marine Monument Highlights Role of Refuges in
Protecting Coral Reefs

In June 2006, President Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to be a national monument. (See NWRA press release) The two national wildlife refuges (NWRs) that reside within the monument, Midway Atoll and Hawaiian Islands, are already protecting these healthy coral reef ecosystems. The monument is the world's largest protected marine region. In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Hawaiian Island Bird Reservation to eliminate the poaching of birds for their feathers. This reservation later became the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Recently, Linda Lingle, governor of Hawaii, declared state waters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a state marine refuge, to help prevent coral and mineral extraction and fishing.

Manta rays eat by filtering plankton

James Watt/NOAA

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are the currently the only intact ecosystem of coral reefs. A 2000 survey of the Islands called NOWRAMP (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Reef Assessment Monitoring Program) revealed that unlike other large-scale coral reefs, top predators, such as sharks and jacks, dominated fish populations. This survey discovered the islands to be home to a variety of new species of coral, algae, and sponges. A high diversity of habitats, invertebrates, fish and coral are located on the various islands. About a fourth of all reef plant and animal species are found in Hawaii. It is crucial to continue to protect and preserve these unique coral reefs.

click

National wildlife refuges are the heart of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Monument and have been protecting coral reefs for the past century. The Midway Atoll and Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuges are home to millions of marine organisms as well as enormous nesting colonies of laysan albatross and other bird species, and the coral reefs within their boundaries are some of the most pristine in the world. Besides field stations on two islands, there are no human inhabitants on the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Human interaction is limited, special permits are need to enter all of the refuges; even scientific research is closely regulated to ensure minimal disturbance to the reefs.

Back to Main Page