HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	265
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

encouraging and supporting the nomination and designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, Papahanaumokuakea, as a World Heritage Site.

     WHEREAS, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, recently named Papahanaumokuakea, is a place filled with vibrant ecosystems, rich cultural traditions, and special historical value, and is deserving of global recognition and protection; and

     WHEREAS, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is home to approximately seven thousand marine species, at least one-quarter of which are found nowhere else in the world; and

     WHEREAS, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument provides critical habitats for numerous threatened and endangered species of marine life, is home to over fourteen million seabirds belonging to over twenty species, and is the largest tropical seabird rookery in the world; and

     WHEREAS, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is an outstanding example of ancient Polynesian culture and seafaring tradition, containing numerous temples and prehistoric cultural sites; and

     WHEREAS, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is an extraordinary site of maritime archaeology and  global seafaring history, containing remains of the 19th century whaling industry and sunken artifacts from World War II; and

     WHEREAS, the places designated as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization are recognized for their "outstanding universal value" and are considered part of the common heritage of humankind; and

     WHEREAS, World Heritage Sites can be nominated on the basis of Natural or Cultural Outstanding Universal Value, or both; and

WHEREAS as of 2006, a total of only twenty-four sites around the world have been granted World Heritage designation based on both Natural and Cultural Outstanding Universal Value; and

     WHEREAS, the co-trustees of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument are seeking nomination of the monument for World Heritage designation based on its natural, cultural, and historical value; and

     WHEREAS, a World Heritage designation will provide an additional international layer of protection for the Monument; and

     WHEREAS, as a World Heritage Site, the Monument will benefit from technical assistance and the latest information from global experts; and

WHEREAS, designation of the Monument as a World Heritage Site will require additional reporting and management obligations that would provide another means of ensuring that conservation and management practices in the Monument are world class and will enjoy heightened positive attention; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature of the State of Hawaii encourages and supports the nomination and designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, Papahanaumokuakea, as a World Heritage Site; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Governor, the Pacific Area Director of the National Parks Service, the Director of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Centre.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Conservation; Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument