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Good News for Coconut Crabs: U.S. to Protect Three Pacific Island Chains

Environmentalists have plenty of valid reasons to look forward to the end of the Bush administration, but when it's all said and done, there may well be a handful of environmental positives to weigh against the ecological damage it has wrought. Case in point: the president is proposing a ban on commercial fishing and mineral exploration on and around three large Pacific island chains. The Northern Mariana Islands, the Line Islands, and American Samoa are likely to be deemed protected areas, preserving a remote swath of extreme biodiversity that might otherwise be destroyed in our pursuit of food and energy.

Animals like migratory birds, sea turtles, and the scary-looking coconut crab (pictured) will benefit from the designation, which comes just two years after similar protections were placed on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (easy for you to say) represents the largest protected marine area in the world, but here's hoping it's just the beginning.

As far as tourism is concerned, larger islands like Saipan, Tinian, and Tutuila have plenty of fancy hotels with all the beachy amenities. The smaller Line Islands of Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll, meanwhile, are uninhabited, but you can sail your yacht or luxury submarine close enough to take a dinghy to shore for a picnic.

Related Stories:
· Bush Seeks to Protect 3 Pacific Island Chains [Live Science]
· Environment Coverage [Jaunted]