9 Jan 2009

US protection plan will benefit American Samoa

11:38 am on 9 January 2009

The South Pacific Regional Environment Programme says a new US marine protection plan that encompasses American Samoa's, Rose Atoll section will prove to be beneficial for the area.

President George W Bush is to announce the creation of the world's largest marine protection area.

Paul Anderson, a Marine Conservation Analyst at SPREP says he has investigated the new regulations.

"One of the big changes that the new designations, national monuments will mean that a lot more area particularly deep-sea area will be protected. Currently maybe at Rose Atoll, you know, less than 100-square kilometres to protect and in this new designation it means there's 27,000 square kilometres that will be under some form of protection."

Paul Anderson says the US initiative will work in line with a marine protection programme provided in Kiribati waters which he says will create a larger marine protection zone in the Pacific.