Bush expands marine conservation

By KC Wildmoon
CNN

(CNN) - President Bush on Tuesday will designate nine sites in three areas of the central Pacific as marine national monuments, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Monday.

The new areas make up the largest area of ocean set aside for marine conservation in the world - 195,280 square miles - and, coupled with a 138,000-square mile designation in Hawaii two years go, mean that Bush will have protected more of the ocean than any other president.

"The president's actions will prevent the destruction and extraction of natural resources from these beautiful and biologically diverse areas without conflicting with our military's activities and freedom of navigation, which are vital to our national security," Perino said. "And the public and future generations will benefit from the science and knowledge gained from these areas."

Bush is using the 1906 Antiquities Act - first used by President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside public lands such as the Grand Canyon as national monuments - for the designation. Many of those lands later became national parks.