To ensure that the native ecosystems of Hawai'i are preserved, sustained, and where possible, restored, the HCA has proposed a goal that 90 percent of native ecosystems that existed in 2000 should be effectively managed by the year 2020.
To accomplish this, first we need to answer two questions:
• Are Our Attempts at Conservation Successful?
• How Do We Know What is Effectively Managed?
The answer will be provided by:
The Conservation Status Snapshot
Indicators of ecosystem health and management will be tracked in 4 categories: biodiversity, stakeholder involvement, management, and legal protection. These indicators will be based on existing spatial data sets, supplemented by interviews with expert agency and NGO staff. Data gaps will be identified and new spatial layers developed. An indicator is included for climate change to track agency initiatives to respond to the pressures of global warming.
To perpetuate native ecosystems, the 4 categories above must coincide on a parcel of land, ie. The area must have native vegetation, legal protection, stakeholder support and effective management. The goal is to move lands forward in status so that these elements are all present. The result will be a state-wide conservation view of Hawai'i's ecosystems, the successes, and the potential target areas where partners can pool resources for efficient action. Managers will be able to share information on what is working, what isn't, and what is needed.
HCA has a full-time environmental data analyst dedicated to the project, Ms. Page Else, to coordinate, assemble, and map this data. The project has been initiated using funds jointly provided by agency and private donors. A long-term funding mechanism is being sought to sustain the project to examine long-term environmental trends. The first Snapshot will be available at the Hawai'i Conservation Conference, during Hawai'i Conservation Week July 27-August 1, 2008. |
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