This document was prepared for the Friends of the Mariana Trench in support of the five year review of our proposed national marine sanctuary in the Mariana Islands. The waters surrounding the Mariana Islands contain natural resources and ecological qualities of national significance, and this document compiles ongoing exploration, research, and discovery that has taken place since 2016. The information contained in this document strengthens the case to keep the proposed national marine sanctuary in the inventory list, and to move forward with the designation process without delay. The Friends of the Mariana Trench thank Ahmyia Cacapit of Guam for drafting this report, and Dr. Stephen Mana’oakamai Johnson and Mr. Angelo Villagomez of Saipan for reviewing it. A Sanctuary for Endangered Humpback Whales 14 Species of whales have been recorded by scientists in recent years, but there is evidence of more Fin and blue whales, the two largest whale species in the world, have been recorded a

This essay was first published on the website of Green 2.0 .  I mention both The Pew Charitable Trusts and Blue Nature Alliance in this piece, but no longer work for them.   The Pacific Ocean is larger than all of Earth’s country landmasses combined and makes up almost half of the world’s water surface. Oceania, stretching east to west from Rapa Nui to Palau and north to south from Hawaii to Aotearoa, is home to more than 43 million people who speak 1,500 distinct languages. These islands and their surrounding waters host some of the world’s biggest conservation initiatives and most lucrative fisheries. Yet to my knowledge only two Native Pacific Islanders work for big environment non-government organizations (ENGOs) and foundations in Washington, D.C. I’m one of them. This is not unique to the Pacific. Indigenous peoples around the world are longtime stewards of the last remnants of wilderness on our planet: An analysis published in 2018 found that Indigenous peoples manage or ha