US President Barrack Obama has created the world’s largest marine park in Hawaii by expanding the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Park according to a report in The Guardian.
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The president will travel next to China for a G20 summit where he said climate change will be a centerpiece of the agenda.
Ahead of his visit to the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Obama told a gathering of Pacific island nation leaders that conservation has been a key part of his presidency. Recreational fishing, and use of marine resources by Native Hawaiians and for scientific research, will require special permits. Now, the existing Marine National Monument will expand by 442781 square miles, bringing the total protected area of the expanded monument to 582578 square miles.
Beginning with President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century in 1909 seven U.S. presidents have taken bold steps to defend the natural resources of Hawaii, which is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth.
The marine national monument supports a dynamic reef ecosystem with more than 7,000 marine species of which one quarter is unique to the Hawaiian Islands.
Hopping to Midway on a morning flight from Honolulu, Obama will land on an airstrip that gained prominence during World War II with the pivotal Battle of Midway. The administration said Obama has protected more acreage through national monument designations than any other president.
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The US government says this expansion comes after “significant engagement with the native Hawaiian community”, the fishing industry, and residents of the islands. It said it recommended other expansion options that would have minimized impacts to the Hawaii longline fishery, which supplies a large portion of the fresh tuna and other fish consumed in Hawaii.
