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In the Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles east of the Marianas, 900 miles southwest of the Hawaiian islands, and 1,000 miles north of Samoa, sits a collection of seven islands and atolls known as Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) Marine National Monument.
In a new post as part of the Center for Western Priorities' Road to 30 Postcards campaign, Policy and Design Associate Lilly Bock-Brownstein explains the historic and cultural significance of Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument—one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world—and the opportunity for President Joe Biden to permanently protect the seascape.
Not only would the proposed PRI National Marine Sanctuary ensure permanent protections for a critical ocean enclave while honoring cultural traditions and history, it would fulfill the Biden administration’s promise to protect 30 percent of U.S. waters by 2030.
"In a world of climate change where we know things are being pushed away from the Western Pacific, this is the perfect place to set up what I call kind of a bank account," said Robert Richmond, research professor and Director of the Kewala Marine Laboratory at University of Hawaii Manoa, in a conversation with the Center for Western Priorities. "The living resources are your principal and their reproductive output is the interest."
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