Completed Projects

Community Restoration Scoping Project
Planned a Community Restoration Scoping Project to guide restoration of the Kākāhaiʻa National Wildlife Refuge.

​The Kākahaʻia Loko Puʻuone Community Restoration Project is a foundational cornerstone of a collaborative effort to restore a 40-acre coastal wetland agroecosystem in Kawela, Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi. Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center, and its partners, will undertake a scoping process to guide the long-term restoration of Kākahaʻia Loko Puʻuone and its adjacent loʻi. This planning process places collaborative relationships and indigenous knowledge/perspectives at the core of restoring this cultural landscape. The goal of the proposed project is to engage the Molokaʻi community in restoration and management efforts of the Kākahaiʻa National Wildlife Refuge (KNWR).
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Wetland Prioritization Tool
A scoring matrix was created to prioritize wetlands for restoration across Hawaiʻi. Site narratives were constructed for each site that identify priority conservation actions and potential roadblocks. To create the matrix, data/information was elicited from state, federal, and private land owners/caretakers, and a climate sensitivity analysis was carried out using existing data.

Sites were prioritized based on:
- High climate resilience at 2100
- Fewest roadblocks (‘easy wins’)
- Importance for Indigenous agroecology
- Prioritization by island
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A Prioritization Plan for Coastal Wetland Restoration on Moloka‘i
Completed a rapid assessment of wetlands on South Shore. Wetland restoration on Moloka'i is needed to expand habitat for endangered species, improve ecosystem services, increase access to cultural resources including sedges for weaving, and increase opportunities for growing taro. The goal of this project is to assess the current status of wetlands on the island of Moloka‘i, evaluate potential impacts of projected sea level rise on these habitats, and produce a prioritization plan for coastal wetland restoration of selected sites on the island.
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Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) project
Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) project to prioritize restoration of wetland sites on Molokaʻi. The project team used data from a rapid assessment together with spatial data to conduct a GIS suitability analysis of twelve wetland sites on the island. The research from this project will help the Molokaʻi Wetland Partnership better understand the different kinds of wetlands found on Molokaʻi, how they function, their current status, and their potential for restoration. This information will be provided to Molokaʻi residents and community members so they can use it to decide how and where restoration efforts may best be initiated.
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