26 November 2010: Managers from the 43 marine sites on the World Heritage List of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) met for the first time from 1-3 December 2010, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to explore ways of strengthening their conservation. Participants heard keynote addresses from Jean-Michel Cousteau, ocean explorer and marine conservationist, and Greg Stone, senior vice-president and chief scientist for oceans at Conservation International. In addition, an official ceremony was held for inscription of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (US), which was added to the World Heritage List in August 2010, along with the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Kiribati).

UNESCO underscores that these sites represent the “crown jewels of the ocean,” as places “recognized by the international community for their outstanding beauty, exceptional biodiversity, or unique ecological, biological and geological processes.”

The site managers’ meeting was co-organized by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and financed by 10 other national governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. [UNESCO Press Release] [World Heritage Marine Programme Website]