CNMI seeks protection of Hagoi

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has asked the US Fish and Wildlife Service to include Hagoi, a valuable wetland on the island of Tinian, in the List of Wetlands of International Importance, otherwise known as the Ramsar List, to help the CNMI conserve the area.

In a letter sent to Jamie Rappaport Clark, director of US Fish and Wildlife Service, the chief executive said designating Hagoi as the United States’ 18th wetland to the Ramsar List would bolster the CNMI’s ability to conserve the wetlands’ ecological integrity for the benefit of the future generations.

Hagoi wetland provides habitat to several forest and migratory bird species, including 18 percent of the Marianas common moorhen (Gallinula chlorous Guam), known as “pulattat” in the local Chamorro language.

The Marianas common moorhen, listed as an endangered species under the US Endangered Species Act in 1984 is a wetland-dependent endemic subspecies of the Mariana Islands archipelago. It is one of the seven primary wetlands and wetland complexes inhabited by the Marianas common moorhen.

According to Tenorio, the CNMI is committed to actively managing Hagoi in accordance with the internationally accepted principles of the Ramsar Convention and once it is included in the Ramsar List, the administration would begin developing and implementing an integrated management plan for the wetland.

One of the least disturbed depressional inland wetlands of the Mariana Islands archipelago of the Western Pacific Ocean, Hagoi (meaning “lake” in Chamorro language) is an oligosaline, seasonally inundated, palustrine marsh. It’s structure and functional performance are representative of this class of wetland for the Mariana Islands.

Hagoi meets three of the criteria cited in the Convention of Wetlands in identifying wetlands of international importance that can be included in the Ramsar List. Hagoi is representative of a near-natural wetland that is characteristic of the region, meeting the Ramsar criteria, Tenorio said.

He added that it is the least disturbed inland depressional palustrine wetland of the Mariana Islands archipelago and being used to define reference standards for the development of a hydrogeomorphic functional assessment method for the CNMI’s wetlands.

The governor noted that the Department of Navy, the lessor of the land containing Hagoi, was initially concerned that the international designation of the place would potentially restrict the Navy’s military training activities in the vicinity of the wetland.

“Tinian Mayor Borja and I are aware of the importance of the military lease area on Tinian to the Navy and other branches of the Department of Defense for training exercises. Therefore, we will ensure that management measures for the wetlands are developed in close collaboration with the Navy to ensure that their interests are directly considered,” said Tenorio.

So far, the Navy has already designated Hagoi as off-limits during training exercises in their Marianas Training Plan.. The governor believes that there has not been any interest in conducting training activities in the wetland, thus, he does not see any conflict between the military’s interests and ensuring the use wise and sustainable use of Hagoi.

Tenorio said the military’s use of upland areas adjacent to the wetland will not be restricted as long as these activities do not adversely affect the ecological integrity of the wetland and wetland-dependent wildlife.