Malama Maunalua

Malama Maunalua
Name	Malama Maunalua
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2009
Location	Maunalua Bay, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Focus	Coastal restoration, reef protection, native species

Malama Maunalua is a community-based nonprofit dedicated to restoring and protecting the coastal ecosystem of Maunalua Bay on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. The organization carries out habitat restoration, invasive species removal, and marine stewardship initiatives in collaboration with federal, state, and local partners. Its activities intersect with regional conservation networks, indigenous stewardship movements, and broader Pacific marine science and policy forums.

Overview

Malama Maunalua operates along Maunalua Bay adjacent to Honolulu, collaborating with stakeholders including University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, City and County of Honolulu, State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, NOAA Fisheries, and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument network. Projects connect to research institutions such as Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Smithsonian Institution programs, while also engaging cultural organizations like Hoʻoulu ʻĀina and Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Malama Maunalua’s methods draw on practices promoted by Marine Conservation Institute, Coral Reef Alliance, Reef Resilience Network, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and regional workshops hosted by East-West Center.

History

Founded in 2009, Malama Maunalua emerged amid partnerships involving community groups, municipal entities, and academic researchers from University of Hawaiʻi System campuses and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. Early restoration efforts referenced historical studies by Bishop Museum scientists, manuscripts from Kamehameha Schools archives, and management recommendations from NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The initiative paralleled movements by organizations such as Surfrider Foundation, Nā Kama Kai, Paepae o Heʻeia, and Hoʻomalu ʻĀina in applying traditional Hawaiian ʻāina management across coastal sites including Heʻeia Fishpond and Waiʻanae Coast. Milestones included collaborative mapping with US Geological Survey, baseline monitoring with Hawaii Department of Health, and volunteer mobilizations modeled after campaigns by The Nature Conservancy Hawaiʻi and Kupu.

Conservation Programs

Restoration efforts feature active reef restoration, native limu (seaweed) propagation, and sediment control projects aligned with science from Coral Restoration Foundation, International Coral Reef Society, and University of Guam. Malama Maunalua implements invasive algae removal inspired by protocols from Hawaii Invasive Species Council, seedling outplanting techniques analogous to work at National Tropical Botanical Garden, and water-quality interventions coordinated with Environmental Protection Agency Region 9. Monitoring protocols reference standards used by Reef Check Hawaii, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, and Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit. The organization’s adaptive management draws on data modeled with tools from Esri, analysis expertise from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and restoration guidance from Conservation International.

Community Engagement and Education

Community programs include volunteer reef cleanups, school curricula partnerships with Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, internship placements through AmeriCorps, and cultural stewardship workshops with practitioners from Kamehameha Schools Bishop Museum Natural Sciences Division, Hawaiian Kingdom, and community hui such as Hoʻolawa Learning Center. Public outreach ties into festivals and networks like Aloha Festivals, Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference, Pacific Islands Forum, and youth programs run by Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi and Boy Scouts of America. The group collaborates with media partners including Honolulu Star-Advertiser, KHON2, HPR (Hawaiian Public Radio), and educational broadcasters such as PBS Hawaii to share results and traditional ecological knowledge from kūpuna and practitioners trained at Kapiʻolani Community College.

Funding and Partnerships

Malama Maunalua’s funding and partnerships span philanthropic, governmental, and academic sources including grants from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, awards from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, support from State of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning, project contracts with City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, and collaborative research funded by National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Corporate and nonprofit partners have included First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, Alexander & Baldwin Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, The Nature Conservancy, and regional donors coordinated through Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. Technical partnerships with University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, NOAA Pacific Island Regional Office, and conservation NGOs like Honolulu Zoo and Kupu facilitate training, permitting, and resource sharing.

Impact and Outcomes

Measured outcomes report increases in native limu coverage, reductions in invasive algae, and enhanced reef fish abundance consistent with monitoring frameworks used by Reef Check, NOAA, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Results are cited in regional planning documents from City and County of Honolulu, environmental impact assessments for coastal projects, and academic publications by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, and partners publishing through venues like PLoS ONE and Frontiers in Marine Science. The initiative informed municipal shoreline resilience strategies linked to planning processes at Honolulu Board of Water Supply and influenced policy dialogues at forums including Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting and conferences organized by Association of Pacific Island Legislatures. Community metrics show sustained volunteer engagement and educational outcomes reported to funders such as National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.

Category:Environment of Hawaii Category:Non-profit organizations based in Hawaii