STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1788

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.C.R. No. 265

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 265 entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING THE NOMINATION AND DESIGNATION OF THE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT, PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA, AS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to promote and preserve Hawaii's unique natural environment by encouraging and supporting the nomination and designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, Papahanaumokuakea, as a World Heritage Site.

 

     The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Ocean Law & Policy Institute of the Pacific Forum, and several concerned individuals supported this measure. 

 

     Your Committee finds that Papahanaumokuakea is an irreplaceable habitat that supports unique and fragile ecosystems containing numerous threatened and endangered wildlife species, including ancient coral reefs.  Preservation of this monument is vital to promoting and ensuring biodiversity on a global scale.  In addition, Papahanaumokuakea also possesses exceptional value as a cultural site.  Its cultural legacy and heritage spans several centuries of native Hawaiian history, as ancestral native Hawaiians explored the vast Pacific Ocean.  No other site listed as a World Heritage Site is comparable to the mixed cultural and environmental significance of Papahanaumokuakea.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 265 and recommends its adoption.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

HERMINA MORITA, Chair