World Heritage
Phoenix Islands Protected Area
The Phoenix Island Protected Area PIPA is a 408250 sqkm expanse of marine and terrestrial habitats in the Southern Pacific Ocean The property encompasses the Phoenix Island Group one of three island groups in Kiribati and is the largest designated Marine Protected Area in the world PIPA conserves one of the worlds largest intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems together with 14 known underwater sea mounts presumed to be extinct volcanoes and other deepsea habitats The area contains approximately 800 known species of fauna including about 200 coral species 500 fish species 18 marine mammals and 44 bird species The structure and functioning of PIPAs ecosystems illustrates its pristine nature and importance as a migration route and reservoir This is the first site in Kiribati to be inscribed on the World Heritage List
Kiribati -