Forests in the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa vicinity on Hawaiʻi Island and Waiʻanae mountains on Oʻahu  are about to receive additional protections thanks to a new award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), funded with support from the U.S. Army and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NFWF has awarded more than $1.28 million to the DLNR to address threats using proven tools such as fencing, habitat restoration, removing hoofed animals, and firebreak creation.

For nearly a decade, over 200 fires have occurred within a three-mile radius of the project areas. Fires also threaten the high concentrations of endangered plants in these areas.

A remote section of the Pu‘u Anahulu Game Management Area will get further protection from a 350-acre fence to exclude hoofed animals. It  will include gates to provide continued access. Funds will also support the planting of native species and weed removal. Invasive plants crowd out the habitat for native vegetation, including seven endangered plant species, some with less than 50 individuals remaining in the wild.

By improving the health of these forests, this project will result in increased carbon sequestration and freshwater supplies, clearer ocean waters, and perpetuation of these plants and landscapes as culturally important resources. 

This grant was also made possible by State Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Watershed Initiative funds, which are serving as the primary source of matching funds. The Army is contributing to this project as these fires cross landowner boundaries and threaten adjacent training grounds.

Photo credit: Department of Land and Natural Resources