The tiny central Pacific islands nation of Kiribati has declared the world's largest marine protected area _ a California-sized ocean wilderness of pristine coral reefs and rich fish and bird life that includes eight coral atolls, AP reported. The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, PIPA, which is halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, covers 410,500 square kilometers (164,200 square miles) and includes undersea mountains and other deep-sea habitat. The protected area will conserve one of Earth's last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems _ eight coral atolls and two submerged reef systems. About 50 people live on one of its atolls. «The main reason for ... the government's commitment (is) to conserve the place and the biological diversity,» Kiribati's Minister for the Environment Tetapo Nakara said. «The coral reefs and bird populations of the islands are unique, virtually untouched by man _ a true wilderness of natural beauty,» he said in announcing the government's designation of the maritime zone. Nakara said his ministry hopes to fully establish the area as a protected zone by the end of the year with the goal of attracting more tourists to Kiribati _ an impoverished coral atoll nation of about 95,000 people. But the protection scheme will not come without costs. Some commercial fishing in the area will be restricted, which will mean a loss of revenue to the Kiribati government without the issuance of foreign commercial fishing licenses. Kiribati earned US$33 million (¤23 million) in 2001 from fishing licenses _ the latest available figure. The government stands to lose about US$3 million (¤2 million) of this revenue with the creation of the reserve, but is hoping to recoup some of the losses by boosting its tourism industry, which now accounts for 20 percent of the gross domestic product. It has already applied for a World Heritage Site listing for the marine reserve as part of its campaign to boost tourist numbers and income. Kiribati and Boston-based New England Aquarium conducted joint scientific research in the area over several years with funding and technical aid from Conservation International's Global Conservation Fund and Pacific Islands Program. «Kiribati has taken an inspirational step in increasing the size of PIPA well beyond the original eight atolls and globally important seabird, fish and coral reef communities,» Greg Stone, New England Aquarium vice president of global marine programs, said in a statement.
