A new national monument that will protect a huge area of land surrounding the Grand Canyon in Arizona is scheduled to be announced by US President Joe Biden.
Thousands of indigenous cultural sites can be found within the 404,700-hectare (almost 1 million acres) Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
The designation substantially restricts the area’s ability to mine.
Five national monuments have already been named by Mr. Biden since taking office.
For several tribal groups in the US Southwest, including the Hopi, Navajo, and Yavapai-Apache peoples, the region—also known as the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument—is important culturally.
Many Republican lawmakers and leaders of the mining sector have opposed calls by indigenous advocacy organisations and environmental organisations for the area to be protected, claiming that mining there is crucial to the US economy and national security.
According to officials, 1.3% of all US uranium reserves are located in the vicinity of the monument.
A previous effort to designate the region as a national monument under President Barack Obama was unsuccessful because Mr. Obama withdrew in the face of vehement opposition from the state’s two senators and then-Gov. Doug Ducey.
Among those pleading with Mr. Biden to exercise his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the region a national monument was the state’s current governor, Katie Hobbs.
According to National Public Radio, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the nation’s first Native American cabinet secretary, the proclamation was “historic”.
Ms. Hobbs’ office has “heard from people across the political spectrum including sporting groups, faith leaders, outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups and others from a broad array of interests that support this monument designation,” she stated in a statement in May.
She claimed that it would aid in preserving areas that many tribes referred to as their “eternal home,” a site of healing, and a source of spiritual sustenance. “It will ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to utilise these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting and gathering of plants, medicines, and other materials, including some found nowhere else on the earth,”
For the sake of tribes, the general public, and future generations, Ms. Haaland concluded that it would safeguard historic and scientifically significant items.
Only two authorised mining operations will be permitted to operate inside the boundaries of the national monument as a result of its declaration. It will also be possible to keep claims that were made before the mining embargo that was announced in 2012.
18 US presidents have declared national monuments at geographically or historically significant sites across the nation since the Antiquities Act was passed in 1906.
During his time in office, Mr. Biden has established four additional national monuments, most recently the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi.