Hawaiʻi Biodiversity and Mapping Program

Hawaiʻi Biodiversity and Mapping Program
Name	Hawaiʻi Biodiversity and Mapping Program
Formation	2000s
Type	Environmental program
Headquarters	Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Region served	Hawaiian Islands
Parent organization	State of Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi Biodiversity and Mapping Program The Hawaiʻi Biodiversity and Mapping Program is a state-supported initiative focused on spatial documentation, inventory, and conservation of native species and habitats across the Hawaiian Islands. It integrates cartographic, remote sensing, and field-survey techniques to inform policy, restoration, and land-management decisions affecting Hawaiʻi National Park, Kīlauea, Mauna Kea, Molokaʻi, and other island-scale resources. The program collaborates with federal, state, academic, and indigenous institutions including United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Hawaiʻi-native community organizations.

Overview

The program synthesizes data on flora and fauna, freshwater and marine ecosystems, invasive species, and cultural resources across archipelagic landscapes such as Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, and Niʻihau. It draws on foundational frameworks like the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary planning, spatial layers used by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Land and Natural Resources, and mapping standards influenced by the United States Geological Survey and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Outputs include geospatial inventories, biodiversity atlases, and baseline maps used by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery programs and tribal stewards.

Objectives and Scope

Primary objectives are documenting species distributions, prioritizing conservation actions, enabling habitat restoration, and supporting cultural-resource stewardship for entities such as Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. Scope spans terrestrial, freshwater, and nearshore marine environments including coral reefs monitored under Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument protocols and watershed-level assessments for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. The program supports endangered-species recovery plans for taxa listed under the Endangered Species Act and coordinates with restoration efforts like those led by The Nature Conservancy and Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance.

Data Collection and Methodology

Methodologies combine aerial and satellite remote sensing from platforms associated with NASA Landsat, European Space Agency, and unmanned aerial systems used by university partners such as University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Field surveys follow protocols aligned with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring, botanical inventories common to the Bishop Museum collections, and aquatic surveys used by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration coral-reef assessments. Geospatial data are managed using standards from Federal Geographic Data Committee and formatted for use with tools developed by Esri and open-source projects supported by OpenStreetMap contributors. Data types include species occurrence records cross-referenced with specimen databases from Smithsonian Institution repositories and community-science observations reported through platforms like iNaturalist.

Key Projects and Initiatives

Notable initiatives include island-scale vegetation mapping supporting Puʻu Waʻawaʻa restoration, watershed mapping for the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and invasive-species distribution mapping informing eradication campaigns coordinated with Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council. Marine projects map coral cover and reef health in collaboration with NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument managers. Collaborative atlases and data portals have been used by City and County of Honolulu planners, coastal managers at Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (Hawaii), and researchers at Hawaiʻi Pacific University.

Partnerships and Governance

Governance involves multi-agency coordination among the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and academic partners including University of Hawaiʻi System campuses. Community and Native Hawaiian stakeholder engagement includes partnerships with Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaiian homestead trusts, and cultural practitioners from ʻāina-based organizations such as Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo. Funding and technical support have come from federal grants (e.g., U.S. Forest Service cooperative programs), philanthropic organizations like National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and research contracts with institutions such as Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology.

Impact and Applications

Program outputs inform endangered-species recovery for taxa like the ʻōʻō (extirpated), plant-recovery actions for species housed in the National Tropical Botanical Garden, and invasive-predator management strategies used by Island Conservation. Mapping products support land-use planning by the County of Maui Planning Department, coastal hazard assessments used by Federal Emergency Management Agency in Hawaiʻi, and aquifer and watershed protection projects coordinated with the Commission on Water Resource Management (Hawaiʻi). Scientific publications drawing on program datasets appear in journals affiliated with institutions such as University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Bishop Museum.

Challenges and Future Directions

Challenges include rapid invasive-species spread documented in reports to the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, limitations in long-term funding from entities like the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and technical gaps in high-resolution oceanographic remote sensing akin to capabilities at NOAA research centers. Future directions emphasize integration with cultural-knowledge databases stewarded by organizations like Hoʻokahua Cultural Network, enhanced near-real-time monitoring with partnerships to NASA, expanded community-science engagement through platforms like iNaturalist, and scalable decision-support tools for agencies including Department of Land and Natural Resources and municipal planners. Continued collaboration with federal partners such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and academic networks remains central to meet biodiversity targets and resilience goals set by local and national frameworks.

Category:Conservation in Hawaiʻi