包括西北夏威夷群島的美國國家海洋保護區，因為其卓越的自然和文化價值，在7月30日被列入聯合國世界遺產名錄。
巴巴哈納摩古阿克亞(Papahanaumokuakea)是包含一列小而低漥的島嶼、環礁以及周圍的海洋，位於夏威夷群島主要部分西北方155英里處，兩端大約1200英里，佔地面積近14萬平方英里。
本保護區是世界最大的海洋保護區之一，其中包含了海底山脈、海底斜坡與潟湖。這座保護區包含了美國本土約70%的珊瑚礁，也是瀕危的僧海豹以及其他約7000種海洋生物的家，其中有四分之一僅分部於夏威夷。整個地區都是禁止漁撈的。
2005年9月，經過了3年公民運動的努力推動收集了超過25000份民意之後，州長林格爾(Linda Lingle)在夏威夷西北島嶼成立了州立海洋保護區，限制夏威夷州屬水域的使用以保護海域。
創造了美國史上最大的海洋保護區，保護了距離海岸線3英里內，面積廣達1026坪方英里的珊瑚礁。
林格爾當局隨後與聯邦政府合作，以確保此處的保護措施與國家層級類似，這促使布希總統在2006年6月指定夏威夷西北島嶼為國家海洋保護區。
這是第一個因為人類文化與海洋的聯繫而設立的自然遺產，也增加了太平洋世界遺產的代表性。這也是美國第一個海洋類世界文化遺產，同時是全球第一個文化的海洋景觀。
現在夏威夷的引水人-不靠儀器的領航員-仍然利用傳統的雙船體獨木舟航行至巴巴哈納摩古阿克亞來當成導航訓練，這一項橫越世界最大海洋的傳統導航技藝，讓這裡成為世界遺產而航向世界舞台。
巴巴哈納摩古阿克亞幾近原始的珊瑚礁、島嶼和水域，是地球上僅存以捕食者為主宰的珊瑚礁生態系之一，鯊魚和鰺主宰著水下生態系統。本區也是一千四百萬隻海鳥的築巢與覓食地，是全世界最大的熱帶海鳥聚集地。
成為世界遺產並不會改變保護區原本與聯邦政府合作的管理計畫與結構，也不會有徵收或者是管理限制的增加與修改。
保護區管理的理念與法規一直是以教育、虛擬導覽以及將人類活動限制在最低限度的方式「將環境帶到人面前」。
雖然被登錄到世界遺產之內增加了各個世界遺產點的觀光活動，但想在巴巴哈納摩古阿克亞進行各樣活動的人卻必須取得許可，只允許一般民眾到訪中途島(Midway Atoll)，並且以環境承載的能力作為限制依據。
巴巴哈納摩古阿克亞是美國夏威夷州的第二個世界遺產；夏威夷火山國家公園於1987年被列入世界遺產名錄之內。
聯合國教科文組織世界遺產名錄保護並保存自然與文化遺產地「突出的普世價值」，世界遺產公約所定的標準和程序，是採用最能廣泛接受的國際協議，以保護自然與文化。
The U.S. Marine National Monument that encompasses the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands was inscribed Friday on the United Nations' World Heritage List in recognition of its outstanding natural and cultural values.
Papahanaumokuakea is a line of small, low lying islands and atolls, with their surrounding ocean, 155 miles to the northwest of the main Hawaiian archipelago and extending over some 1,200 miles from end to end. It covers an area of nearly 140,000 square miles.
It is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world with features such as seamounts, submerged banks and lagoons. The monument contains about 70 percent of the coral reefs in U.S. territory and is inhabited by endangered monk seals and 7,000 marine species, a quarter of which are found only in Hawaii. The entire area is off-limits to fishing.
In September 2005, after a three-year public process that resulted in more than 25,000 public comments, Governor Lingle established a State Marine Refuge in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that set aside all state waters as a limited access, no-take marine protected area.
This created the largest marine conservation area in the history of the state, protecting 1,026 square miles of coral reefs from the shoreline to three miles offshore.
The Lingle administration then worked with the federal government to ensure similar protections at the national level, which resulted in President George W. Bush's designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a marine national monument in June 2006.
It is the first site designated with cultural connections to the sea, and adds to under-represented World Heritage sites from the Pacific. It is the first marine site in the United States, and the world's first cultural seascape.
Modern Hawaiian wayfinders - non-instrument navigators - still voyage to Papahanaumokuakea for navigational training on traditional double-hulled sailing canoes. World Heritage status places this traditional skill, which was used to navigate across the world's largest ocean, onto the world stage.
The near pristine remote reefs, islands, and waters of Papahanaumokuakea are one of the last predator-dominated coral reef ecosystems on the planet. Sharks and jacks dominate the underwater ecosystem. The region provides critical nesting and foraging grounds for 14 million seabirds, making it the largest tropical seabird rookery in the world.
World Heritage designation does not change the monument's cooperative federal-state management mission, plan or structure, nor does it impose, change or add regulations or restrictions.
The monument's management philosophy and regulations have always been designed to "bring the place to the people" through education, virtual exposure, and extremely limited visitation.
Although inscription has increased tourism at other World Heritage sites, for Papahanaumokuakea, all human access and activity will remain by permit only, with visitation by the public restricted to Midway Atoll under strict carrying-capacity guidelines.
Papahanaumokuakea is the second World Heritage Site in the state; Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was inscribed in 1987.
UNESCO's World Heritage List protects and preserves natural and cultural heritage sites of "outstanding universal value" as determined by the standards and process established under the World Heritage Convention, the most widely adopted international agreement for the conservation of nature and preservation of culture.
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