« Back to Main Galleries
« Back to Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

View: 250 | 500

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument - stock photos and facts of one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. This gallery captures a look into the incredible biodiversity that makes this conservation area, and this part of the world, so special. From vibrant marine life to nesting birds and the eye-catching colors of the ocean, this gallery is sure to amaze and inspire.

Location | Honolulu County, Hawaii / Midway Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands
Nearest City | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Area | 583,000 square miles (1,510,000 km2)
Established | June 15, 2006

The name Papahānaumokuākea originates from Hawaiian mythology and the ancestors Papahānaumoku and Wākea, who gave rise to the Hawaiian people, kalo (taro), and the Hawaiian islands. This monument is the largest consolidated protected conservation area in the United States. Encompassing almost 583,000 square miles makes this conservation zone larger than all U.S. national parks combined and a little larger than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The area was first protected in 1909 by President Teddy Roosevelt when he was made aware of its value as a nesting site for seabirds.

The monument was described as a mixed (with both natural and cultural resources) world heritage site by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2010 and became the first mixed world heritage site in the U.S. President Obama expanded the area by more than four times itself from 140,000 to its current 583,000 square miles in 2016. The monument includes a 1,350 mile stretch of coral islands and seamount ecosystems that provide a home for a wide array of biodiversity, including the Laysan finch, the Nihoa finch, the Nihoa millerbird, the Laysan duck, the Laysan albatross, Hawaiian monk seals, green sea turtles, and hawksbill sea turtles. Many of these animals are either threatened or endangered, such as the Laysan duck, which is the most endangered species of duck in the world.

The area holds pristine shallow water coral reefs, and it contains 10% of tropical shallow water coral reefs found in the U.S. These environments create safe habitats for threatened and endangered species of animals since they remain practically untouched, the exceptions to this being traditional Native Hawaiian cultural or religious practices and limited tourism. In total, there are 14 million birds from 22 different species that nest in the monument area. Out of the 7,000 different species that call Papahānaumokuākea its home, a quarter are endemic. Unfortunately, many species in the area have still not recovered from overharvesting in the 1980’s and 1990’s, including the spiny lobster and other species of fish. During this time, seabird populations and Hawaiian monk seal populations were also affected, which are also still recovering. Commercial fishing within the monument was banned in 2011, which will hopefully result in marine life population increases in years to come.
« less

View: 250 | 500

Next >