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Ocean and Coastal Management in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands' Coastal Program

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is made up of 14 islands that span 440 miles of the western Pacific Ocean. Since the islands are small, the entire land and water area of the Commonwealth are included within the coastal boundary. The Coastal Resources Management Office is the lead agency for the Commonwealth's Coastal Program.

The Mariana Islands face a number of issues, including nonpoint source pollution, pollution growth, effects of tourism, and declining marine resources. The Coastal Program manages coastal development and protects and restores coral reefs, wetlands, mangroves, lagoons, and other critical coastal resources. Program activities include issuance, monitoring, and enforcement of development permits; public education and involvement; coral reef monitoring; special area planning; remediation of problem areas; and federal consistency review.

Northern Mariana Islands' Coral Program

The Commonwealth is also a member of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. As part of the Task Force, the Coastal Resources Management Office serves as the Commonwealth’s Coral Reef point-of-contact, and coordinates coral reef management with the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Quality and Division of Fish and Wildlife. The agencies have led a participatory process to develop local action strategies to address four priority threats to coral reefs: land-based sources of pollution, over-fishing, lack of public awareness, and recreational misuse/overuse.

Program Highlights

CNMI Moves Forward with Storm Water Retrofit Projects to Protect Coral Reefs

Links

Coastal Resources Management Office — The website provides information from the Program's activities including permitting, the coral reef initiative, and marine monitoring and research.

CNMI Coral Reef Initiative Program — This interagency group is tasked with protecting and monitoring coral reefs in the CNMI, as well as implementation of Coral Reef Conservation Local Action Strategy efforts.

Marine Protected Areas — Search for marine protected areas by state, region, or topic area. 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coastal Nonpoint Program Conditional and Final Approval Documents — The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program encourages better coordination between state coastal zone managers and water quality experts to reduce polluted runoff in the coastal zone. The Commonwealth received full approval in 2003.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coastal Program Evaluation (2006) — The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management conducts periodic performance reviews of federally approved state coastal management programs.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coral Reef Local Action Strategies — The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force identified the need for more focused action at the local level to reduce key threats to coral reefs and called for each of the states and territories with significant coral reef resources to develop local action strategies.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coastal Resources Management Office

Coastal Resources Management Office
Office of the Governor
2nd floor Morgen Building
San Jose, Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950
(670) 664-8300

 

 

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