The coral reefs surrounding Bikar and Bokak are some of the most stunning on Earth, sheltering turtles, sharks and huge colonies of seabirds
The Marshall Islands announced protection of two of the country’s remote and northernmost isles, untouched havens of biodiversity sheltering the nation’s largest green turtle nesting colony and deep sea sharks.
An exceedingly rare glimpse
The country’s first national marine sanctuary — which covers 48,000 square kilometers of water — is an exceedingly rare glimpse into a pristine part of the Pacific Ocean.The area around the two uninhabited atolls, Bikar and Bokak, and the nearby deep sea will be fully protected from fishing.
First marine sanctuary
“The ocean as our ancestors knew it is vanishing,” remarked Dr. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. “Without sustainable ocean ecosystems, our economy, stability and cultural identity will collapse. The only way to continue benefiting from the ocean’s treasures is to protect it. I am proud of our country’s first marine sanctuary, which certainly won’t be its last.”
Replenishes nearby fish populations
Marine protected areas (MPAs) where fishing and other damaging activities are banned restore marine life within their boundaries. That, in turn, replenishes nearby fish populations and improves local fishing, provides jobs and economic benefits, and builds resilience against a warming ocean.
“The ocean is life,”
“The ocean is life,” said Glen Joseph, Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA). “The world’s ocean is being degraded, but we are able to bring part of it back by recognizing that protection and food production are not mutually exclusive. Safeguarding areas of high biodiversity delivers benefits to local communities who rely on fish and other aspects of a healthy environment. Our future depends on protecting our ocean.”
Look towards the future ( Reimaanlok )
The Marshall Islands is conserving its atolls as part of its unique conservation approach, known as Reimaanlok. Meaning ‘look towards the future,’ the Reimaanlok process relies on cultural insights and traditional knowledge to drive conservation. As part of this approach, coastal communities work together to design their own resource management plans for how to sustainably and equitably use their local terrestrial and marine resources.
An expedition to Bikar and Bokak
During an expedition to Bikar and Bokak in 2023, National Geographic Pristine Seas and MIMRA gathered data about marine life from the surface to 2,340 meters depth — from lagoons and coral reefs to far offshore.
The team of scientists and filmmakers used visual SCUBA surveys of coral reefs and open water environments; dropped cameras to the sea floor; counted and identified seabirds; tested genetic material found in the water; and explored little-known portions of the underwater environment in a submersible.
RMI :Largest green turtle nesting colony
Bikar and Bokak harbor the largest green turtle nesting colony and seabird colonies in RMI; mature Pisonia forests in excellent condition; the highest coral cover and giant clam densities in the central and western Pacific; high coral resilience to global warming; the highest reef fish biomass in the tropical Pacific Ocean; a large abundance of vulnerable species such as large groupers, Napoleon wrasse and bumphead parrotfish; the presence of rare fish spawning aggregations and shark mating; and little known deep-sea communities with potentially new species of fishes and invertebrates; and abundant deep-sea sharks.
As a nuclear test site
Bikar and Bokak stand in contrast to Bikini Atoll, which was used as a nuclear test site in the wake of WWII. At the request of MIMRA, Pristine Seas studied Bikini atoll to help the country establish its first long-term monitoring sites using standard data collection methodologies and Rongerik Atoll as an unbombed reference site.
