Kiribati

Marine Protected Areas in Kiribati
Kiribati is an island nation located in the central Pacific Ocean. The Republic is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island and dispersed across 3.5 million sq km. Kiribati is broken into three main island groups; the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands. [1] The second group is home to the second largest Marine Protected Area in the world. As a nation of entirely low-lying islands, Kiribati is particularly vulnerable to the threat of rising ocean levels.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) encompasses over 400,000 sq km and more than 14 submerged seamounts reported to have 200 species of coral and 500 species of fish. This remote island chain impedes large numbers of visitors and remains one of the most pristine sections of ocean in the world. In 2010, PIPA was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. [2]