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Conservation Lands

From native forests to traditional fishponds, reefs and beaches to forests and sacred pu’u, much of Hawai’i’s natural and cultural resources—our natural heritage and cultural landscape—survive in our conservation district.

Last fall, a bundle of regulatory rollbacks were proposed for conservation lands in Hawai`i. Hundreds stood up in opposition, and the majority of these rollbacks were abandoned. Today, we are working to close the last three remaining loopholes, and stand up for the strongest possible protections for Hawai`i's conservation lands.

heeia.jpgFrom native forests to traditional fishponds, reefs and beaches to forests and sacred pu’u, much of Hawai’i’s natural and cultural resources—our natural heritage and cultural landscape—survive in our conservation district.

In the waning days of the Lingle Administration, DLNR proposed major changes to the rules protecting Hawai’i’s conservation district. These proposed rollbacks would have fundamentally altered the way decisions are made for 2 million acres of public and private lands in Hawai’i. The strength of these rules affect the future of “ceded” lands, nearshore and submerged lands, watersheds, and all areas mauka to makai that are under conservation.

In 2010, KAHEA helped to convene a coalition of thirty-four organizations and nearly 700 individuals in support of upholding strong, protective rules for our conservation lands. The majority of these rollbacks have since been abandoned.

Today, we are continuing to work to strengthen and uphold these long-standing protections for the 2 million acres of conservation lands in Hawai`i nei.

Learn more:  http://kahea.org/blog/alert-3-loopholes-to-close

Why are these laws important?
haleakala1.jpg100% of Hawai`i's coral reefs and all surf breaks are conservation lands. 50% of "ceded lands" lie within the conservation district. Forest watersheds and abundant natural habitats are conservation lands. Mauna Kea and Haleakala are conservation lands.

From native forests to traditional fishponds, from mauka to makai, much of Hawai`i's surviving natural and cultural resources--our natural heritage and cultural landscape--lie within the conservation district.

Weakening protective rules for the conservation district can mean irreversible loss of havitat, native species, and sacred wahi pana. Strengthening these rules can mean a better future for generations forward.

To learn more about conservation lands, please check out our fact sheet on the Conservation District. (http://bit.ly/conservationdistrict)

More Resources

- Great piece in the Honolulu Weekly by Rob Parsons - Read "DLNRn't"
- Op-ed in the Star-Advertiser by Jon Osorio and Vicky Holt-Takamine - Read Op-ed

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