Marine Resources Assessment for the Marianas Operating ... - SPREP

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
The first step in redefining what constitutes MPAs is to establish a list of MMAs, from which a select few
MPAs will eventually be chosen. To date, only federal MMAs have been added to the MMA Inventory;
state, territorial, tribal, and local MMAs will be considered for addition to the inventory list at a later date.
Once the MMA Inventory is complete, the MPA Classification System will be applied to sites in the MMA
Inventory and official MPA designations will be made. Only those sites in the MPA list are subject to the
‘avoid harm’ stipulation stated in EO 13158.
In the Marianas MRA study area and vicinity, there are three federally designated, two Navy-designated,
and 12 territory or commonwealth-designated MMAs (Figure 5-4). For the purposes of this section,
federally designated MMAs include those designated by resource management agencies such as the
NOAA, NOAA Fisheries, National Park System (NPS), and USFWS. Since Navy-designated MMAs are
not yet included in the MMA inventory, they will be addressed separately.
5.3.1 Federally Designated Marine Managed Areas
Federally designated MMAs include national marine sanctuaries, NPS sites (e.g., national seashores,
national parks, national monuments), national wildlife refuges (NWRs), national estuarine research
reserves, threatened/endangered species protected areas and critical habitats, fisheries habitat
conservation zones, and fisheries management zones. The three federal MMAs located in the Marianas
MRA study area and vicinity include one National Parks System site, one NWR, and one fisheries
management zone (NOAA 2004). Each of these MMAs is located on or around Guam. There are no
federally designated MMAs located in the Northern Mariana Islands.
5.3.1.1 National Park System Sites
The NPS administers all areas that are protected and managed under the U.S. NPS. The National Parks
Service Organic Act of 1916 established the NPS with “the fundamental purpose to conserve the scenery
and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment for the same
in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future
generations" (NPS 2003).
The NPS is composed of 388 areas covering more than 34.2 million ha in 49 states, the District of
Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the USVI (DoI 2004). The system includes
national parks, monuments, seashores, memorials, preserves, historical parks, historical sites,
recreational areas, and many other similarly named areas that are distinguished for their historic or
prehistoric importance, scientific interest, or superior recreational assets. There is one NPS site in the
Marianas MRA study area that is currently identified as a MMA: the War in the Pacific NHP (Figure 5-4).
Guam was the site of one the heaviest aerial and naval bombardments in WWII, as American forces
fought to regain territories captured by the Japanese. The War in the Pacific NHP commemorates the
bravery and sacrifice of both the soldiers and the Guam residents who lost their lives during the war. The
park is comprised of seven historically significant sites on the island and 405 ha of ocean where
submerged WWII military vessels and artifacts rest on the ocean floor next to coral reefs. The remains of
caves, Japanese fortifications, pillboxes, and gun emplacements stand throughout the park as silent
reminders of the fierce battles that took place on the island. The park looks to conserve natural resources
and to preserve important natural features including plant communities, streams, and marine bed
environments (Daniel 2004). Ecosystems focused on by the park include coral reefs, seagrass beds,
wetlands, and offshore islets.
A second NPS site, American Memorial Park, is located within the CNMI on the island of Saipan;
however, it is not currently identified as a MMA. This 54 ha park is located on the western side of the
island and includes areas for picnicking, swimming, boating, fishing, athletic events, and ceremonial use
(Cocke 2004). Its primary function is to honor those that died in the WWII Mariana Island Campaign and
to discuss the role that the battle for Saipan played in the Pacific Theater as a whole (Cocke 2004).
Secondary purposes include the protection of environmental and ecological resources found inside the
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