A Prioritization Plan for Coastal Wetland Restoration on Moloka‘i
Wetland restoration on Moloka'i is needed to expand habitat for endangered species, improve ecosystem services, increase access to cultural resources including sedges for weaving, and increase opportunities for growing taro. The goal of this project is to assess the current status of wetlands on the island of Moloka‘i, evaluate potential impacts of projected sea level rise on these habitats, and produce a prioritization plan for coastal wetland restoration of selected sites on the island.
Moloka’i has some of the best wetland restoration potential in Hawaiʻi. Community leaders, managers and conservationists have insufficient background data to prioritize which coastal wetlands have the highest likelihood for successful restoration. Due to sea-level rise and climate change, wetland restoration is urgently needed to enhance ecosystem services, which benefit the community and secure quality habitat for native wildlife. Moloka‘i faces serious impacts from sea-level rise and wave-induced flooding and is impacted by severe run-off and sedimentation from upland forest degradation.
The Molokai Wetland Partnership (MWP) formed in 2019 to explore opportunities for wetland restoration on Moloka’i, incorporating indigenous agro-ecology practices. MWP members are:
- Ka Ipu Makani
- Molokai Land Trust
- Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
- USGS
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife
- Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Nēnē O Molokai
This project has three main objectives:
- Conduct an inventory of and classify agricultural and natural wetlands on Molokaʻi,
- Create a map-based resilience and restoration tool for ranking potential sites on their sustainability under sea-level rise and coastal flooding, and
- Develop a prioritization plan for coastal wetland restoration on Molokaʻi.
Wetlands Assessments
From April 12-23, 2022, the project team, comprised of experts from the USGS, Molokai Land Trust, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ka Ipu Makani and Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, conducted rapid assessments of wetland soils, hydrology, birds, vegetation, and invertebrates at 12 coastal wetlands that are potential sites for restoration. Despite the degraded status of many of the wetlands due to ongoing drought, the project team saw great potential for restoration at nearly every site.
Community-based Conservation
There is also social and cultural value to restoring wetlands. We want to exchange information about that and have community input. We will ensure that the wider community benefits from the project and participates in a knowledge and information exchange during the decision-making process
Prioritization Plan
Next steps for this project will include integrating the field component with a geospatial analysis, which includes soil, springs, precipitation, and vegetation data, and future projections for sea-level rise and wave-induced flooding. Having all of these components will allow us to conduct a suitability analysis for wetland restoration based on the particular attributes of each site and the estimated longevity of wetlands under climate change. The suitability analysis will be used together with additional community input to create our final prioritization plan, which will be completed by fall 2022. The plan will stand a blueprint for restoration activities to be carried out by the Molokaʻi Wetland Partnership.
