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We demand co-management
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Posted on Jul 10 2017
This is the first in a series of letters about the Trump administration efforts to overturn marine monuments in the Pacific, particularly the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. I wish to begin on a positive note, and suggest an area where everyone in the community can agree.
Ten years ago, when we were advocating for the creation of the monument, the Friends of the Mariana Trench, based on advice we received from The Pew Charitable Trusts, asked the Bush administration to grant the Northern Mariana Islands government co-management over the entire monument.
Our vision statement, which we published in this newspaper in October 2008 and posted online on numerous blogs, outlined how we wanted the federal and territorial government to be equal partners in managing the federal resources. Unfortunately, the current situation does not give the Northern Mariana Islands co-management; rather, decisions are made “in consultation with” our local government.
Now that control of submerged lands has been granted to the Northern Mariana Islands government around the three islands within the Islands Unit, it would make sense to manage the entire monument area—both the federal and the territorial resources, including the islands—as one management area, with both governments acting as equal partners.
Granting co-management and protecting the entire geographic ecosystem will fulfill the intent of the NMI Constitution, which says the islands of Asuncion, Maug, and Uracus “shall be maintained as uninhabited and used only for the preservation and protection of natural resources, including but not limited to bird, wildlife, and plant species.” (Article XIV, Section 2)
I encourage Gov. Torres and Delegate Sablan to reach out to President Trump and demand that our government be granted co-management of the monument. This is the best way to ensure that our people have a seat at the table.
Ignacio V. Cabrera
I Agag, Saipan
Friends of the Monument
