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GCIL HOME   HIGHLIGHTS AGREEMENT ON THE CONSERVATION OF ALBATROSSES AND PETRELS PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE MONUMENT R.M.S. TITANIC SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS SUBJECT AREAS Antarctic Arctic Biological Diversity Climate Change Environment and Trade Extraterritorial Appl. of Laws Fisheries Heritage Marine Debris Marine Mammals Marine Pollution Marine Protected Areas Marine Turtles Marine Scientific Research Seabed Management Seabirds Ships, Regulation of Survey and Charting Treaties Underwater Sound Zones and Boundaries ACRONYMS REFERENCES

PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT The Office of General Counsel for International Law Particularly Sensitive Sea Area Designation Nomination to UNESCO as a World Heritage Site Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area by the International Maritime Organization On April 3, 2008, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, an area that includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, received final designation as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a Specialized Agency of the United Nations. The U.S. proposal for PSSA designation was submitted in April 2007 for consideration by the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee and received provisional "in principle" designation in July 2007. With the April 3, 2008 final designation the PSSA became immediately effective. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is the second marine protected area in the United States to receive PSSA designation (the other being the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which was designated as a PSSA in 2002). PSSA designation has been granted to 11 areas globally, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Archipelago. The newly designated PSSA is coterminous with the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which was established by President Bush in June 2006. It encompasses a 1,200-mile stretch of coral islands, seamounts, banks, and shoals; is home to more than 7,000 marine species; and contains 4,500 square miles of coral reefs. Ship traffic has been identified as one of the primary anthropogenic threats to the vulnerable and valuable natural and cultural resources of the area. PSSA designation augments domestic protective measures by alerting international mariners to exercise extreme caution when navigating through the area. As part of the PSSA designation process, on October 8, 2007 the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee adopted U.S. proposals for two associated protective measures designed to prevent damage to this fragile and integrated coral reef ecosystem from international shipping activities. First, the IMO approved the expansion and amendment of the six existing recommendatory Areas to be Avoided (ATBAs) in the area, enlarging the class of vessels to which they apply and augmenting the geographic scope of these areas as well as adding new ATBAs around Kure and Midway atolls. The ATBAs will appear on domestic and international nautical charts to direct vessels away from coral reefs, shipwrecks and other ecologically sensitive or culturally significant areas in the PSSA that may also be hazardous to navigation. Second, the IMO approved a ship reporting system for vessels transiting the Monument, which is mandatory for ships entering or departing a U.S. port or place and recommendatory for other ships. The ship reporting system will provide critical alerts and other information to assist mariners in navigating safely through the area. The final rule implementing the IMO-adopted ship reporting system was published by NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on December 3, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 73592), effective January 2, 2009. NOAA's Office of General Counsel for International Law was instrumental in developing the United States' PSSA submissions and securing their approval by IMO. Additional reference information: NOAA News Release on establishment of Monument on June 15, 2006 (NOAA News, June 20, 2006) President's Proclamation, Establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (June 15, 2006) Proclamation, Amending Proclamation 8031 of June 15, 2006, to read, "Establishment of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument"(March 2, 2007) White House News Release (dated May 15, 2007) IMO News Release on PSSA designation "in principle" (dated July 26, 2007) U.S. Submission to IMO - MEPC 56/8 Submission to IMO - MEPC 56/INF.2 NOAA Press Release on PSSA Designation (April 4, 2008) Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument web site IMO News Release on final PSSA Designation (April 9, 2008) NOAA News. "NOAA Maritime Archaeologists Discover Shipwreck of British Whaling Ship Gledstanes that Sank off Kure Atoll in 1837" (August 15, 2008) Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument only "Mixed Site" on U.S. Tentative List for Nomination to UNESCO as a World Heritage Site On January 30, 2008, the Department of Interior submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) the new United States Tentative List or inventory of 14 sites in the U.S. of such outstanding universal value that they warrant consideration over the next decade for inscription on the list of World Heritage Sites. National Park Service News Release. World Heritage sites are of such international significance that the nations that manage them promise the world that they will preserve them for present and future generations. There are cultural and natural heritage sites that are as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the Baroque Cathedrals of Latin America. The United States was the prime architect of the World Heritage concept and the first country to ratify the World Heritage Convention, in 1973. The National Park Service manages all or parts of 17 of the 20 existing U.S. World Heritage Sites, including Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, and the Statue of Liberty, and serves as the principal technical agency for the U.S. Government to the World Heritage Convention. While there are 14 sites recommended for their value (nine as cultural resources and four for their value as natural resources), the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is the only site recommended as a "mixed site" because of the outstanding universal value of both its natural and cultural resources. Most of the sites on the list are terrestrial. This Marine National Monument would be the first site included primarily because of marine resources as opposed to terrestrial resources. WORLD HERITAGE NOMINATION ANNOUNCED BY PRESIDENT BUSH (ONMS) On January 6, President Bush announced the nomination of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. Staff from PMNM worked closely with a consortium of agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Hawaii, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, to develop the nomination package over the past 10 months. The nomination is now en route to UNESCO's World Heritage Center. Over the next 18 months, UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites will review the application. The World Heritage Committee will vote on adding the site to the World Heritage List in July, 2010. The nomination application is available through the Monument's home page. Additional reference information: Updated U.S. Tentative List on World Heritage (UNESCO) web site. document download Listing of PMNM on World Heritage (UNESCO) web site. document download National Park Service News Release, "The Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne Selects New U.S. World Heritage Tentative List" (January 22, 2008) National Park Service, World Heritage Convention Implementation National Park Service, U.S. World Heritage Program Regulations, 36 CFR Part 73 National Park, Service U.S. World Heritage Tentative List Project National Park Service FAQ for U.S. World Heritage Tentative List Project National Park Service: A User's Guide to the World Heritage Criteria for Inscription The World Heritage Convention The World Heritage Centre Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention OTHER USEFUL LINKS Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument home page Frequently Asked Questions about the World Heritage Nomination