Mālama ʻĀina Foundation

Mālama ʻĀina Foundation
Name	Mālama ʻĀina Foundation
Formation	1994
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Region served	Hawaiʻi Island, Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi
Leader title	Executive Director

Mālama ʻĀina Foundation Mālama ʻĀina Foundation is a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit working on native resource restoration, cultural revitalization, and youth development. Founded in the 1990s, it collaborates with community groups, schools, landowners, and government agencies across the Hawaiian Islands to restore ʻāina and revive traditional practices. The organization operates within networks that include cultural practitioners, conservation scientists, and educational institutions.

History

The foundation traces roots to local grassroots movements in the 1980s and 1990s that followed actions such as the Kūʻē petitions and later political developments like the admission of Hawaiʻi as a U.S. state and the Native Hawaiian activism associated with Puʻuhonua o Hoʻōpū. Early alliances formed with organizations such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Bishop Museum, and the University of Hawaiʻi, and with kūpuna and practitioners connected to the Hawaiian Renaissance and leaders from Molokaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island. During its early years the foundation partnered with land trusts and entities like The Nature Conservancy and Land Trust Alliance to acquire and manage watershed parcels and loko iʻa, and it engaged with federal programs administered by agencies such as the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Over time the foundation expanded programs to include loko wai, ahupuaʻa restoration, and mālama ʻāina training influenced by precedents set by Ke Aupuni Lokahi and Hanalei River restoration projects.

Mission and Programs

The foundation’s mission emphasizes stewardship of native species, perpetuation of Hawaiian cultural practices, and youth leadership development in places including Kahoʻolawe and Mauna Kea. Core programs include native reforestation modeled after projects at Haleakalā, watershed restoration akin to work in Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, and loko iʻa revitalization linked to practices from Lāhainā and Molokaʻi. Program partners have included the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Kamehameha Schools, and community-based organizations such as Hui ʻĀina and the Malama pono networks. The foundation administers silviculture, agroforestry, and traditional aquaculture initiatives reflecting methods used by practitioners at Hoʻokupu sites and loko kuapa rehabilitation projects.

Education and Community Outreach

Education programs target keiki, ʻōpio, and kūpuna through school curricula, ʻAhaʻaina workshops, and internships similar to models employed at Pūlama Lānaʻi and Kupu. Collaborations involve the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Kapiʻolani Community College, and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education to integrate mālama ʻāina principles into classroom modules used in schools across Honolulu, Hilo, and Lahaina. Outreach includes public presentations at Bishop Museum, workshops with the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust, and participation in conferences such as the Pacific Science Congress and Indigenous Peoples’ gatherings. The foundation runs mentorship programs that mirror apprenticeships offered by hālau, makahiki organizers, and canoe voyaging groups like the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Conservation and Land Stewardship

Conservation work focuses on native plant propagation, kiawe control, removal of invasive species introduced during colonial era plantations, and protection of endemic fauna found in places like Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve and Pōhakuloa. Projects use adaptive management approaches informed by research at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, and collaborating botanists from the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Stewardship activities include restoration of ahupuaʻa systems, mauka-to-makai watershed planning influenced by practices at Hanalei and Waimānalo, and the rehabilitation of loko iʻa employing traditional engineering similar to structures found at Heʻeia and Kawainui. The foundation engages with legal regimes affecting land tenure, easements, and kuleana lands, coordinating with attorneys experienced in Native Hawaiian rights and land law.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding and partnerships have come from private foundations such as the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, the Gates Foundation (education grants), and local philanthropies, as well as government grantmakers including NOAA, EPA, and the National Science Foundation for applied research. Collaborative agreements exist with nonprofit organizations such as The Trust for Public Land, Conservation International, and local hui like Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo, and with municipal departments in Honolulu and county offices on Maui and Kauaʻi. Corporate partners historically have included companies operating in Hawaiʻi’s tourism and agriculture sectors that support community-based stewardship, and the foundation has engaged in fee-for-service contracts with research institutions and cultural centers.

Impact and Recognition

The foundation’s impact is evident in restored wetland acres, revived loko iʻa producing traditional fish stocks, and alumni who have taken leadership roles in organizations such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, and state natural resource boards. Awards and recognition have come from civic groups, environmental organizations like the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, and cultural institutions including statewide ʻAha Kiole councils. The organization’s projects have been cited in academic journals and reports produced by the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, the East-West Center, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature for contributions to indigenous-led conservation and community-based resource management.

Category:Environmental organizations in Hawaii Category:Cultural organizations in Hawaii