Papahānaumokuākea

Papahānaumokuākea is a large marine protected area encompassing the northwestern Hawaiian Islands and surrounding ocean, inscribed for its natural biodiversity and cultural significance to Native Hawaiian traditions. The reserve protects extensive marine, coral reef and island ecosystems across a very large ocean area.

Access to the islands and atolls is tightly restricted for conservation and cultural reasons, so public visitation is limited to authorised research or guided expeditions. The protected waters support abundant seabird colonies, endangered marine turtles, monk seals and rich coral reef communities, which are primary values for scientific and conservation visits. On permitted expeditions visitors and researchers focus on wildlife observation, monitoring and cultural education rather than conventional tourism.

The area was progressively designated as a protected marine refuge and sacred cultural landscape in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with statutory protections introduced by U.S. federal and state authorities to conserve ecosystems and cultural sites. The site also recognises traditional Native Hawaiian cultural connections to the islands and seascape.

Papahānaumokuākea lies northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, spanning a chain of atolls, islets and reef systems across the north-central Pacific Ocean; the nearest major populated islands are hundreds of kilometres to the southeast, in the main Hawaiian island chain.

• Scale and scope: The protected area covers a vast expanse of ocean and many small islands and atolls in the northwestern Hawaiian archipelago, making it one of the largest marine conservation areas on Earth.
• Natural and cultural values: The area is of high biodiversity value for seabirds, marine mammals, coral reefs and endangered species, and it also holds deep cultural significance for Native Hawaiian practices and navigation.