Improving MPA Management Effectiveness

Bird Island, CNMI

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Site Overview Location Information Goals and Accomplishments Site Management Other Site Evaluations and Research Contact Information and Web Links
Site Overview
General description of site: Bird Island Sanctuary is composed of a marine portion and terrestrial portion. The Sanctuary stretches from Lichan Point and extends south to Bird island lookout, inclusive of the Grotto, Bird Island and Bird Island Bay from the low tide line to 1000 feet offshore and 500 feet up the cliff line. It is located near the northern tip of the island of Saipan on the windward side. Date of establishment: April 2001 Area (Km²): 1.3 Size of site (S <= 20Km²; M = 20 - 2000Km²; L >= 2000Km²): Small Ecosystem type/main ecological features: Native limestone, fringing coral reef, forest Description of special resources; important ecological features; reason for establishing a protected area: Fringing coral reef, blowhole used as popular swim hole and dive entrance to underwater tunnels, caves and fringing reefs, and rock island just off shore containing a seabird nesting colony
Location Information
Geographic coordinates (lat/long): 14548'5" E and 1515'27" N (USGS topo NAD83/WGS84) Boundaries: 1000ft seaward of low tide mark and 500ft inland Nearest major city: San Roque, Saipan (village) Region: Tropical
Goals and Accomplishments
Goals and objectives of MPA: Goal: Sanctuary for conservation of wildlife and marine life Propagation of wildlife and marine species to repopulate areas outside of protected area Laboratory for students, teachers, and research groups Site accomplishments to date: removal of incompatible land uses installation of signage media and outreach materials improvements to public access enforcement enhancement
Site Management
Management objective: No-take Type of management structure: Conventional Challenges of site management: No on-site staff or related facilities; Division of Fish and Wildlife's primary source of funding cannot be used for enforcement activities and local funding is extremely limited; Limited staff and equipment such as vehicles and boats to patrol area; and, Weather conditions can limit marine access. Does a management plan exist? No, plan is in development Summary of main aspects of management plan: N/A Main stakeholders involved: Government agencies
Other Site Evaluations and Research
Description of any other site evaluations to date: Intensive on-site marine biophysical monitoring planned every 6 months by the CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife, some additional less intensive on-site annual biophysical monitoring being conducted by the interagency Marine Monitoring Team (MMT). MMT is also going to add a survey site a few miles south of the sanctuary during this year that may be useful for comparative studies. Listing of current/recent research activities: See "Marine Resources of the Mariana Islands: an annotated bibliography." Available by Jan. 2003 through the Coastal Resources Management Web site.
Contact Information and Web Links
Main Contact(s) Information: Thorne Abbott Natural Resource Planner Division of Fish and Wildlife P.O. Box 10007, Lower Base Saipan, MP 96950 Ph: + (670) 664-6025 / 664-6000 Fax: + (670) 664-6060/ 664-6046 e-mail: Thornea@coastalzone.com Erica Cochrane Coastal Resources Management Office, CNMI Coral Reef Coordinator P.O. Box 10007, 2nd Floor Morgan Bldg. Saipan, MP 96950 Ph: (670)664-8302 Fax: (670)664-8315 e-mail: crm.coralreef@saipan.com or erica@ken-erica.net Other Contact Information: Mike Trianni Fisheries Manager CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife e-mail: mstdfw@itecnmi.com Link to pilot site Web page or related Web sites: CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife: http://www.dfw.gov.mp CNMI Coastal Resources Management: http://www.crm.gov.mp CNMI Division of Environmental Quality: http://www.deq.gov.mp (top)