The National Park Service announced today that the Department of the Interior has requested that a World Heritage nomination package be developed for Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the nation's largest marine protected area. The National Park Service is the lead agency to coordinate World Heritage nominations for the United States.

The Monument, which includes the islands and waters of the northwestern Hawaiian archipelago, along with Mount Vernon, Virginia, will be proposed as the United States' first nominations for consideration for the World Heritage List since 1994.

Led by the State of Hawai'i, the three agencies managing Papahanaumokuakea - the Department of Land and Natural Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - are preparing a draft nomination package. The final nomination will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre when completed. The final nominations would not be considered by the World Heritage Committee until at least 16 months after they are submitted.

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