Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/02/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Given that we are constantly guiding our online actions by the state of affairs on our favorite Pacific homeland, I thought this might be of some interest: Reservez, s'il vous plait Tiny island nation of Kiribati creates world's largest marine reserve The tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati has created the world's largest marine reserve, spanning 164,200 square miles (roughly the size of California). In contrast, the islands comprising Kiribati itself total only about 313 square miles, or about four times the size of Washington, D.C. The new Phoenix Islands Protected Area is home to sea turtles, over 120 species of coral, 520 species of fish, and contains important sea-bird nesting sites. In creating the reserve, the impoverished nation will be giving up millions of dollars in foregone commercial fishing licenses every year, though Kiribati officials stressed that they hope to make up for some of the lost revenue via increased tourism. Officials have also been trolling for financial assistance from other nations. Russell Mittermeier of Conservation International said, "The creation of this amazing marine protected area by a small island nation represents a commitment of historic proportions." The previous world's largest marine protected area was the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands set aside by President Bush in 2006. sources: Reuters <http://lists.grist.org/t?ctl=1CBCE:E8DF3F714549B5C4919727C278676005> Associated Press <http://lists.grist.org/t?ctl=1CBC5:E8DF3F714549B5C4919727C278676005> -- R. Clayton McKee http://www.rcmckee.com Photojournalist rcmckee@rcmckee.com P O Box 571900 voice/fax 713/783-3502 Houston, TX 77257-1900 cell phone # on request