Who We Are

About Pacific Islands Heritage

The Pacific Islands Heritage area is one of the last wild, healthy ocean ecosystems on the planet, with a rich cultural and historical legacy. The area includes seven uninhabited islands and atoll: Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Howland Island, Baker Island, and Jarvis Island, protecting approximately 490,000 square miles of cultural and ecological heritage in the Pacific Ocean. The low coral islands and atolls are the crests of ancient coral reef caps and massive underwater volcanoes up to 120 million years old.

Below the surface lies endangered and threatened wildlife, including sharks, rays, seabirds, blue whales, the leatherback sea turtle, and deep-sea life found nowhere else. Its waters have thriving fish populations, 5,000-year-old coral, and 165 known seamounts — towering underwater mountains — which are considered biodiversity hotspots.

Indigenous Pacific Islanders used the vast seascape for cross-oceanic migration and voyaging. The islands and atolls served as stopping points for rest, sustenance, and cultural practice for generations of voyagers who used the stars, winds, currents, and land and sea life to navigate these waters.

About Our Coalition

In 2014, the Pacific Islands Heritage Coalition formed to protect and amplify the cultural, natural, and historical legacy of these special islands, atolls, and reefs. Our diverse network includes elders, fishers, cultural practitioners, navigators, scientists, storytellers, nonprofit leaders, community groups, and others across the Pacific and beyond. We are committed to our vision of a connected, healthy Pacific where wildlife and communities thrive, and we care for the natural world as our ancestors.