Kahalu'u Bay Hope Spot
On the west coast of the island of Hawai‘i is Kahalu‘u Bay, also known as ‘āina lei ali‘i, lands that adorn the chiefs. It is a wahi pana, a sacred, celebrated, and storied place abundant with cultural and ecological treasures.
International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue has named Kahalu‘u Bay a Hope Spot and Punihaole and Zalewski as the Hope Spot Champions. Kahalu‘u is the second Hope Spot in the state of Hawai‘i.
Punihaole and Zalewski have seen Kahalu‘u change over the years, and both of their organizations aim to reverse the damage brought upon the bay through these anthropogenic stressors.
Zalewski remembers the thriving Kahalu‘u Bay reef of 30 years ago, when there were far fewer stressors from development and visitors.
“We need to be cognizant of ‘shifting baseline syndrome’, in which perceived accepted norms for an environment gradually change over time, causing the previous state to become forgotten.” Zalewski continues, “Today, when younger people go into the bay, they still see beautiful tropical fish and coral, but they don’t have a reference point to understand how much the bay has changed from what it once was. We hope to help restore the bay back to that state as much as possible for future generations.”
Life Within The Bay
Steps Toward Greater Protection
Through the strong relationships built over time by Cindi Punihaole, along with the rest of TKC-KBEC and Dear Ocean, Kahalu‘u Bay has become a symbol of hope and inspiration for the community.
In an innovative public-private partnership intended to provide consistent, long-term preservation, TKC-KBEC operates at the bay in agreement with the County of Hawai‘i to provide daily stewardship and management.
An example of this cooperative preservation effort is an annual temporary closure of the Beach Park in mid-May when cauliflower corals in Kahalu‘u Bay spawn. This year’s spawning has recently concluded, bringing with it the hope of a new generation of this ecologically important coral species.
Zalewski says, “Our work at Kahaluʻu Bay fully aligns with Mission Blue’s views on empowering local communities, and we hope to prove that even geographically small bays can create profoundly large, global impact.”
Punihaole expands on this idea, “It’s our hope for Kahaluʻu Bay to be a model for other bays, communities, and grass-roots organizations around the world to integrate local government, scientists, and citizens working together to create change.” She elaborates, “The land, the sea, the air, and the people are all connected. It’s this connectedness that extends the size of Kahaluʻu Bay far beyond its physical boundaries.”
Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center (KBEC), a program of The Kohala Center (TKC), was established in 2007 to promote reef-friendly practices to visitors in an effort to protect Kahaluʻu Bay’s fragile ecosystem through education, research, and advocacy. The staff and volunteers at TKC-KBEC work every day to protect marine life in Kahaluʻu Bay.
TKC-KBEC works with local and state governments, NGO’s, and businesses, Hawaiʻi Island residents, scientists, and visitors from around the world to integrate ancestral knowledge with Western science to foster sustainable practices at the bay.
Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center Facebook
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About Dear Ocean
Dear Ocean is a 501(c)3 designed to promote and support ocean conservation by raising awareness and appreciation of the marine environment and to serve as a catalyst for multidisciplinary collaboration in ocean-related sustainability efforts. Members of Dear Ocean strive to address the challenging and complex issues facing the world’s beautiful seas, recognizing that working together is essential to achieve the common goal of conserving the marine environment.
To learn more about the work being done at Kahalu‘u Bay, how to minimize your impact when visiting reef ecosystems, or how to help the conservation efforts, please visit any of the following pages:
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