Why is Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument being nominated for listing?
The co-trustees of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (the State of Hawai‘i, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) applied to have the site be included in the revised U.S. Tentative List of candidate sites in April 2007 as a mixed site because of its exceptional natural and cultural importance. The Administration agreed, and the site was selected by the Secretary of the Interior for the Tentative List in January 2008. The Monument has now been selected to be one of two sites proposed for nomination to the World Heritage List in 2008 because it is believed by many to be one of the strongest candidates on the U.S.’s Tentative List. In that regard, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument would, as a marine site and a mixed cultural and natural site in the Pacific, fill conspicuous gaps in the U.S. portfolio of World Heritage Sites. Similar gaps likewise exist in the World Heritage List as a whole, wherein few marine, P
