U.S. President George Bush is launching one of the biggest conservation efforts in the world. He is designating large tracts of the Pacific as national monuments - meaning they are protected from commercial fishing, mining and other uses.
美国总统布什发起世界上最大的环境保护努力之一。他把太平洋大片海域规定为国家自然保护区，在这些海域禁止商业捕鱼、采矿和其他商业活动。
With just two weeks left in office, the president has taken action to safeguard parts of three remote Pacific island chains that are U.S. possessions.
目前离布什卸任还有两个星期。布什总统采取行动，保护属于美国属地的3个偏远的太平洋群岛。
All will be designated as marine national monuments under provisions of the 1906 Antiquities Act, which is used to protect scientific and historical sites.
布什总统根据1906通过的古迹法的规定把这些海域划定为国家海洋保护区。
"The monuments will prohibit resource destruction or extraction, waste dumping and commercial fishing," President Bush said.
布什总统说：“这些保护区确立以后，将禁止摧毁和开采资源。禁止倾倒废物和商业捕鱼。”
President Bush says the goal is to keep these delicate ecosystems intact, while gradually opening them up to scientific research and recreation.
"For sea birds and marine life, they will be sanctuaries to grow and thrive. For scientists, they will be places to expand the frontiers of discovery. And for the American people they will be places that honor our duty to be good stewards of the Almighty's creation," he said.
布什说：“对海鸟和海洋生物来说，这些地区将成为生长和繁衍的保护区。对科学家来说，这些地区将成为扩展新发现的边界地带。对美国人民来说，它们将成为让我们履行我们作为上帝造物守护人的职责的地方。”
Freedom of the seas will be unaffected in the three monument sites, as will U.S. military operations. President Bush says the military will also keep watch out for those who violate restrictions in the protected areas.
在3个保护区，海上自由通行不会受到影响。美国的军事活动也不会受到影响。布什总统说，美国军方将继续监视在受保护的地区违反规定的活动。
White House officials say these locations are among the last pristine marine areas left on Earth. The three new marine monuments together equal an area roughly the size of Spain and are made up islands, reefs, atolls and underwater mountain ranges that are home to countless species.
白宫官员说，这3个地区是地球上最后保存下来的原始海洋的一部分。这三个新的海洋保护区的总面积大致相当于西班牙。这3个地区有岛屿、暗礁、珊瑚礁和海底山脉。在那里生活着无数的物种。
President Bush notes the protected zones include parts of the Mariana Trench - the world's deepest canyon.
布什总统指出，受保护的地区包括马利亚纳海沟的一部分，那是世界上最深的海沟。
"This unique geological region is five times longer than the Grand Canyon. It is deeper than Mount Everest is tall. It supports life in some of the harshest conditions imaginable," he said.
布什说：“这个独特的地质构造比美国的大峡谷长4倍。它的深度超过珠穆朗玛峰的高度。这个海沟支持着在人们能够想象的最严酷的生存条件下生活的生物。”
Aides to the president say Mr. Bush has protected more of the marine environment than any of his predecessors. And some environmentalists agree he has ushered in a new era of ocean conservation in the United States.
总统的助手说，布什保护的海洋环境规模超过他所有的前任。有些环保人士同意，布什揭开了美国海洋保护的新时代。
But others argue his efforts to protect the oceans must be weighed against his stands on other environmental issues, such as climate change and oil drilling on land.
但是也有人认为，在看到布什保护海洋的努力的同时，不应忘记他在其他环保问题上的保守立场。比如布什在气候变化和在美国大陆开采石油问题上的立场。
"The Bush presidency will be seen as a dark period for environmental issues. Really across the board, whether it be domestic regulations, but certainly the global issue of climate change, President Bush sought to take the country backward," said Chris Flavin, Director of the Worldwatch Institute.
But Bush administration officials say that is just not so, that the 43rd president of the United States can be proud of his efforts to protect the air, seas and land.
但是布什政府官员表示，情况并非如此。他们说，布什这位美国第43任总统可以为他保护空气、海洋和陆地的努力感到骄傲。 |