In the latest advance of US President Joe Biden’s plans for a long-lasting ocean conservation legacy, more than 4,500 square miles of kelp forests, reefs, underwater mountains, and over 200 shipwrecks documented by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will now fall under the protection of a newly designated marine sanctuary along the California coastline.

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will stretch along 116 miles of California’s central coast, marking not only North America’s 17th national marine sanctuary but the third largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System.

The designation of the sanctuary advances the legacy in ocean conservation President Biden is looking to leave as part of his America the Beautiful Initiative, a programme that supports locally-led collaborative conservation efforts across the country. Within the programme, a goal has been set to protect, conserve, and restore at least 30% of US lands and waters by 2030.

With this designation, the Biden-Harris Administration has now conserved more than 45 million acres of land and waters. Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will conserve the area’s diverse range of marine life and celebrate Indigenous people’s connections to the region.

“This historic Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary designation, made possible thanks to President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative, will help provide critical environmental protections and allow tribal and Indigenous community management of the new sanctuary,” said US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo.

“This milestone in our commitment to Indigenous communities and natural lands will boost recreation, tourism, and other local industries along California’s central coast.”

Stretching from just south of Diablo Canyon Power Plant in san Luis Obispo County to the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, the sanctuary will bring comprehensive community and ecosystem-based management to nationally significant natural, historical, archeological, and cultural resources – including kelp forests, rocky reefs, sandy beaches, underwater mountains, and more than 200 NOAA-documented shipwrecks.

The sanctuary’s boundaries exclude areas where future subsea electrical transmission cables and floating offshore substations could be installed outside the sanctuary to connect the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area to the electrical power grid at Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon Power Plant, ensuring the sanctuary meets both conservation and clean energy goals.

NOAA will consider the potential expansion of the sanctuary in the coming years, after these transmission cables have been laid.

“NOAA recognises and celebrates this unique area’s modern day and historic cultural connections to Indigenous peoples. Tribal and Indigenous communities will be co-stewards, as informed by their values, knowledge, and traditions,” said NOAA Administrator, Richard Spinrad, Ph.D. 

“The sanctuary designation will support and conserve the area’s rich biodiversity, create new opportunities for research and economic development, including recreation and tourism, and co-exist with renewable energy, fisheries, and other sustainable ocean uses.”

The designation of the sanctuary is the result of a decade of work by Tribes, Indigenous Peoples, community leaders, organisations, businesses, state and local officials, and members of Congress – including then-Senator and now Vice President Kamala Harris – to develop and advance the vision for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

The announcement has been met with an outpouring of support from Indigenous communities who have hailed the designation as a ‘crucial movement’ in raising awareness of the Chumash people around the world while conserving their waters.

“The announcement of NOAA designating Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, the organisation that nominated the sanctuary in 205 under the leadership of her father, the late Chief Fred Collins.

“This recognition is a crucial movement for our community. It will not only raise awareness of the Chumash People around the world, but also honour the legacy of my late father and affirm our commitment to the stewardship of our land. I hope we will be remembered for our dedication to actively protecting and nurturing Mother Earth and Grandmother Ocean.”

Kenneth Kahn, Chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, has said that the move from President Biden is a positive step in redressing the imbalance and disadvantage at which Native Americans have been placed through ‘generations of US land and water policies.’

“Today’s announcement is a sign that things are changing,” he said. “The Chumash tribal government never relinquished its aboriginal right to manage our traditional homelands. We are grateful that NOAA recognises this inherent sovereignty and welcomed us as a co-steward of the sanctuary that bears our name.”

Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is the fifth designated in California and one of the largest in the National Marine Sanctuary System. The sanctuary designation is anticipated to take effect in December this year.

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