The Monuments include the world’s largest fully protected marine area, tropical oases, and the deepest trenches on the planet. They represent some of the last frontiers and havens for wildlife in the world, and comprise the most widespread collection of coral reef, seabird, seamount, and shorebird protected areas under a single nation's jurisdiction. The Monuments encompass the best habitat for 25 threatened and endangered species, more than 7,000 marine species including 28 million seabirds, over 30 species of marine mammals, 200 stony coral species and thousands of square miles of coral reefs.
Over 80% of Monuments have yet to be explored. Scientists find new species and habitat on each expedition, and we are still learning how much these Monuments influence the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the climate of our entire planet.
Management and partnership responsibilities for the Monuments are assigned to the Department of the Interior and delegated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) based on applicable legal authority of the agency. In filling this responsibility, the Service works in collaboration with our primary partner, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other governmental and non-governmental partners. The Service has been involved with conservation of marine areas longer than any other government agency. The Monuments provide the Service an unprecedented opportunity for wildlife conservation and scientific exploration on our planet’s last frontiers, and to preserve and protect some of the most pristine habitat on the planet while serving as a conservation laboratory for our agency and collaborating agencies and partners.
