Marshall Islands Creates Huge Marine Reserve

Marshall Islands —(Map)

The government of the Marshall Islands has protected a huge area of ocean around two remote atolls. The step is designed to protect important marine and bird life, and to help scientists learn more about the area. The government says it’s their first marine protected area (MPA), but it won’t be their last.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean. It lies roughly halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines. The country has five main islands, 29 large atolls, and over 1,000 other small islands.

Bikini Atoll is perhaps the most famous of the Marshall Island’s atolls. It was used by the US for testing nuclear weapons after World War II.

The new MPA sets aside 18,500 square miles (48,000 square kilometers) of ocean where no fishing is allowed. That’s larger in size than the area of Denmark, the Netherlands, or Sweden.

The protected area surrounds two remote atolls: Bikar Atoll and Bokak Atoll. No one lives on the two atolls, which are far away from the rest of the Marshall Islands, including Bikini Atoll. Because they are so far removed from people, the oceans around the atolls are in excellent shape.

In 2023, scientists from National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project worked with experts in the Marshall Islands to study the area that is now protected. The group made 452 dives, and spent over 640 hours underwater.

Enric Sala, who started the Pristine Seas project, calls the area a “time machine”. He says that the coral reefs around the atolls are so healthy that diving there is “like diving in the ocean of 1,000 years ago.”

The underwater life near the atolls includes many different kinds of fish. In fact, the scientists say that there are more fish there than at any other reef in the Pacific Ocean.

The waters in the MPA are home to a large number of deep-sea sharks. There are also many giant clams in the area. The researchers say that there may even be marine life there that scientists have never seen before.

The MPA is also designed to protect life out of the water. The area contains the largest nesting site for green turtles in the Marshall Islands. It’s also home to more seabirds than any other place in the country.

The people of the Marshall Islands have strong connections to the ocean. They use the word “Reimaanlok”, which means to “look toward the future”, guided by their own history and knowledge.

The RMI government believes protecting sea life in this large area will also help marine life outside the protected area. And that will help local fishermen and others who depend on the sea.

“The ocean is life,” says Glen Joseph, who leads the group responsible for protecting the waters of the Marshall Islands. “Our future depends on protecting our ocean.”