The Bush administration proposes creating the largest conservation area in the world — what could be nearly 900,000 square miles of remote ocean in the western and central Pacific, including some of the best-preserved marine ecosystems in existence.

But the level of protection remains unresolved; military, fishing and local interests are competing with environmentalists over how much access should be allowed. And any protections are only as good as the quality of enforcement needed to back them up.

Ideally, the area should enjoy the same protections as Hawai'i's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which has strict rules on fishing and other activities.

Areas the Bush administration would protect include the uniquely diverse coral reefs off eight tiny central Pacific islands, including Johnston Island, Kingman Reef and Rose Atoll in American Samoa. They also encompass wildlife-rich waters around the northern islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and include part of the giant Mariana Trench.

Experts say the vast area supports a variety of endemic and at-risk marine life, and is as close to pristine as is possible today. Keeping it that way with broad protections — and properly funded enforcement — would be a major milestone in environmental stewardship and deserves support.