To honour Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture, we must also honour their seas.

The Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) are special. They are surrounded by some of the ocean’s healthiest ecosystems full of colorful coral reefs as well as rare and endangered species. They are home to flourishing groups of turtles, whales, sharks, and fish. And this sea life is deeply connected to the well-being of their onshore neighbours, Pacific seafaring peoples known as the Hui Panalaʻau.

The lands and nearshore are currently protected under the 2009 Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM); however, this isn’t enough. To ensure that all life can thrive in this special place, we must expand these protections to include the deeper marine ecosystem.

The community-driven Pacific Remote Islands Coalition has requested that US President Biden expand the current 50 nautical miles of protection around Howland and Baker Islands, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef to 200 nautical miles. This would make the PRIMNM the largest highly protected marine protected area in the world.

Treecard has decided to amplify the coalition’s call to expand and protect these critical ecosystems from industrial fishing and deep sea mining.  Expanding this protection would also help preserve and promote the culture and history of the Hui Panalaʻau, allowing for the survival of their ancestral voyaging and cultural practices.

Add your name to those who seek to protect our earth's precious ecosystems as well as Indigenous Pacific Island cultures.