Kuahiwi a Kai: Lānaʻi Watershed Conservation Program Map

Lānai Hale | Credit: Joe West

Kuahiwi a Kai Program Overview

An east-facing view of the Kuahiwi a Kai program area, with Maui in the distance.

The Kuahiwi a Kai: Lānaʻi Watershed Conservation Program represents a first-of-it’s-kind, comprehensive effort to apply the concept of “mauka to makai” — from the top of the mountain down to the ocean — to landscape-scale conservation projects across 20,000 contiguous acres of unique habitat essential for native species that are federally listed as threatened or endangered.

In January 2019, NFWF and Pūlama Lāna‘i entered into a partnership to facilitate federal, state and private collaborations in conservation efforts on northeastern Lāna‘i. The partnership has been instrumental in coordinating resources and expertise to restore and enhance Lāna‘i’s native fish and wildlife.

Program Goals

Extremely rare plants such as the ‘āwikiwiki, a perennial climber in the pea family, could face extinction without conservation efforts in Lāna‘i and other Hawaiian islands.

The goals of the Kuahiwi a Kai Program are to:

Reduce sediment runoff to nearshore reefs
Restore native vegetation to improve watershed health
Protect and enhance populations of endangered and endemic species
Improve habitat and predator management for Hawaiian petrel (‘ua‘u)
Improve the quality of the landscape for the local community and visitors through preservation of nearshore resources, beaches and cultural sites
Increase community conservation ethic and involvement in landscape protection efforts

Conservation Impact

Since the program’s inception, NFWF has awarded over $1.4 million in grants to 17 projects that support the goals and objectives of the program’s landscape-level approach to conservation. These grants will generate more than $3.6 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $5 million.

Watershed Challenges

Over a century ago, the Keōmoku coast of Lāna‘i was home to white-sand beaches. More than 150 years of mismanagement of introduced ungulates has led to drastic erosion in many parts of the island. Axis deer and mouflon sheep have stripped away native vegetation, allowing rainwater to carry soils downslope, smothering shorelines and coral reefs with plumes of brown sediment.

Erosion hotspot caused by invasive deer and sheep

Overgrazing has also led to an invasion of non-native plants such as strawberry guava and invasive grasses, further degrading habitats for native and endemic species, and altering watershed hydrology. In addition, increased soil compaction can cause flash flood events and decrease water infiltration to the island’s aquifers.

A grant awarded to the U.S. Geological Survey will map, model and monitor sources of fine-sediment pollution, from the ridgelines down to the shoreline, to identify priority hot spots and to track implementation strategy progress. | Credit: USGS

Fences as a tool for Conservation

Ungulate-proof fences, like the one shown here being installed on Moloka‘i by grantee Pono Pacific Land Management, are critical to improving watershed conditions and protecting native habitats. | Credit: Pono Pacific Land Management

To address the issues of erosion and habitat destruction, the program will install landscape-level, ungulate-proof fencing, mauka to makai. Building ungulate-proof fences is essential to effectively manage the large numbers of invasive axis deer and mouflon sheep that persist within the program area.

With program funding, an ungulate-proof fence and feasibility study was initiated to identify, map and provide cost estimates and implementation plans for possible fence alignments along the northern and southern boarders of the program area, as well as interior fencing options to create management units.

In 2018, through the support and expertise of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, the state of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Pūlama Lāna‘i, and NFWF, funding was identified to construct a predator-proof fence around approximately 85 acres of nesting habitat, resulting in the largest predator-proof fence outside of New Zealand. This fence will protect more than 40 percent of the known ‘ua‘u burrows on Lāna‘i.

Hi‘i predator-proof fence, for the protection of Hawaiian petrel (‘ua‘u) nesting habitat, under construction at the summit of Lānaʻi Hale. | Credit: Pūlama Lāna‘i

'U'au (Hawaiian Petrel)

Hawaiian petrels nest in burrows, making them vulnerable to nonnative predators such as rats and feral cats.

The endangered ‘ua‘u is one of two endemic seabirds to Hawai‘i that breed in a variety of remote, inland habitats throughout the main Hawaiian Islands. In 2006, a breeding colony of the Hawaiian petrel was rediscovered near the summit of Lānaʻi Hale, located at the top ridge of the Kuahiwi a Kai program area. Although the petrel colony was historically known to occur, its status was unknown and thought to have dramatically declined.

Introduced mammalian predators such as feral cats and rats have negatively impacted the reproductive success of ‘ua‘u on Lāna‘i. Invasive vegetation is also problematic because it degrades nesting habitat by hindering effective burrow building, movement within the colony, and access to existing burrows. While predator control has expanded and is contributing to improved reproductive success, habitat loss driven by invasive plant species and erosion remain long-term threats to their persistence and recovery.

Coral Reef Conservation

In 2021, many of the reef slope sites surveyed off the coast of the Kuahiwi a Kai program area had high coral cover and biodiversity, like the one shown here. | Credit: The Nature Conservancy

Coral reefs (lit up in teal on the right) play an integral part of life in Lāna‘i, supporting subsistence use, cultural practices and recreation. The island’s interconnected coral reefs provide vital habitats for a colorful array of fish, sea turtles, crustaceans and other marine species. Unfortunately, warming ocean temperatures and sedimentation have weakened coral species’ ability to compete with algae for hard substrate, compromising coral health and resilience to climate-related stressors such as coral bleaching.

Effective watershed management, from mauka to makai, can reduce sediment and nutrient runoff to build coral reef resilience.

Community Engagement

E ʻIke Hou iā Lānaʻi student volunteers restore Waiaʻōpae fishpond, a historic structure that has been negatively impacted by sedimentation originating upstream. | Credit: Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center

Lāna‘i’s human community is a vibrant part of the island’s landscape. Active community participation and engagement in conservation stewardship is critical to protecting and preserving Lāna‘i’s natural and cultural resources for future generations. Projects funded through the program strive to integrate the community and its rich cultural history to foster a sense of shared responsibility and pride for this special landscape.

Learn More

In 2020, The Nature Conservancy received a grant to conduct nearshore surveys to establish a baseline of fish and coral communities, as well as water quality and sedimentation flow patterns along the Keōmoku coast. | Credit: The Nature Conservancy

Visit the program's fact sheet to learn more about projects funded through this program.