Even before this Hawaii pledge, he had worked to permanently protect more than 265 million acres of land and water. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will contain some 1,508,870 square kilometres, almost the same size as Quebec.
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But Hawaiian Senator Schatz, who worked on a compromise plan to accommodate certain types of fishing and more Native Hawaiian involvement in managing the preserve, said there would be plenty of fish left for longline fishermen in other areas.
Within the expanded area of the monument, commercial fishing and mineral extraction such as deep sea mining will be prohibited, the White House said.
There he will make the case that climate change ‘makes protecting our public lands and waters more important than ever, ‘ according to the White House.
Hawaii’s elected leaders praised the move. USA presidents were granted the executive authority to designation land as protected regions under the 1906 Antiques Act, which states: “the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest”. The archipelago which lies 270 miles northwest of Oahu is home to more than 14 million birds from 22 species, almost all of the remaining endangered Hawaiian monk seals, Hawaiian green sea turtles and Laysan albatrosses.
The area also has “great cultural significance to the Native Hawaiian community and a connection to early Polynesian culture worthy of protection and understanding”, Obama said.
“We’re seeing a lot of life, a lot of new life and a lot of very old life”, he said.
“We’re just seeing significant environmental degradation globally, and this is a huge step in changing our course”, Rand told The Huffington Post.
Not everyone in the region was in favor of the monument’s expansion.
The regional council that manages US waters in the Pacific Islands voiced disappointment with Obama’s decision, saying it “serves a political legacy” rather than a conservation benefit. Obama has been criticized for using his administrative authorities under the Antiquities Act, which allows the president to declare a national monument without congressional approval. New satellite technology allows scientists and researchers to “see” the topography of the seafloor and can track individual animals, such as whales and seals, providing a better understanding of foraging and migration patterns. It was later renamed into its current name in honor of two Hawaiian gods, Papahanaumoku and Wakea, husband and wife whom natives believe preside over the earth and sky respectively.
Maine’s legislature passed legislation blocking the federal government from exercising exclusive rights over national monuments within the state.
Deputy Director of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands William Aila was excited to hear the news.
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Asked what he thought of the monument expansion, Aila switched to Hawaiian.
