Papahanaumokuakea celebrates 10 years

Gov. David Ige issued a special proclamation Wednesday to honor the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

In recognition and celebration of the monument’s 10th anniversary, the proclamation declares June 15, 2016, as Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Day in Hawaii. Staff from the monument’s seven co-managing agencies were present in the governor’s office at the state Capitol for the announcement.

On June 15, 2006, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 8031, creating the largest marine protected area in the world at the time. A year later, it was given its Hawaiian name, Papahanaumokuakea.

The monument was expressly created to protect an exceptional array of natural and cultural resources, and also ushered in a new genre of marine conservation: large-scale marine protected areas or LSMPAs.

When Papahanaumokuakea was first created, it was the largest marine protected area on the planet. Then, less than 1 percent of the ocean was protected. Today, there are 19 LSMPAs (formally established or government declared), totaling nearly 3 percent of the global oceans. In all, if the 19 sites were put together, they would be the second-largest country in the world, bigger than the United States.

This year, Papahanaumokuakea celebrates a decade of accomplishments made in cooperative conservation management, restoration and discovery. And July 30 will mark Papahanaumokuakea six-year anniversary of being named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

On the web

· www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/10year

· oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/first-marine-monument/

· www.noaa.gov/sanctuaries