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Restoring ecosystems, restoring community: socioeconomic and cultural dimensions of a community-based coral reef restoration project

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Abstract

Environmental restoration projects are commonly touted for their ecological positives, but such projects can also provide significant socioeconomic and cultural benefits to local communities. We assessed the social dimensions of a large-scale coral reef restoration project in Maunalua Bay, O‘ahu, where >1.32 million kg of invasive marine macroalgae was removed from 11 hectares (90,000 m2; 23 acres) of impacted coral reef in an urbanized setting. We interviewed 131 community stakeholders and analyzed both quantitative and qualitative data to assess human uses of the environment, assess perceptions of environmental health, and characterize social dimensions (+/−) associated with the invasive algae removal effort. Results indicate substantial direct economic benefits, including the creation of more than 60+ jobs, benefiting more than 250 individuals and 81 households. The project helped develop a skilled workforce in a local business dedicated to environmental restoration and increased the capacity of community organizations to address other threats to reefs and watersheds. Other major benefits include revitalization of Native Hawaiian cultural practices and traditions and the successful use of harvested invasive algae as compost by local farmers. Our results show the project heightened community awareness and a broader sense of stewardship in the area, creating enabling conditions for collective community action. Our findings show that restoration projects that explicitly incorporate efforts to build community awareness, involvement, and a shared responsibility for a site may ultimately create the long-term capacity for sustainable stewardship programs. We conclude by discussing lessons learned for engaging productively with communities in environmental restoration and stewardship, which remains a central focus in conservation worldwide.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Maunalua community members and participants in this research, without whom this study would not have been possible. A number of key individuals from different organizations contributed greatly to this project. We thank Sean Marrs, David Ziemann, and John Parks from The Nature Conservancy. We also thank Alika Winter, Kimo Franklin, Carol Wilcox, Jennifer Taylor, Dede Mamiya, and Tegan Hammond from Mālama Maunalua, and John Leong, Luke Estes, Lei Leong, and the entire crew and staff of Pono Pacific. We also owe a great debt of gratitude to Laura Thompson, Bruce Blankenfeld, Eugene and Karen Gleason, and other kama‘aina who shared their mana‘o about Maunalua Bay with us, as well as Eric Co, Jason Philibotte, and Russell Amimoto who paved the way for the original community IAR efforts and developed the pakini surveys. Any errors or omissions belong to the authors alone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, 99 Pacific Street, Suite 555E, Monterey, CA, 93949, USA

    John N. Kittinger

  2. Impact Assessment, Inc., Pacific Islands Office, Honolulu, HI, USA

    John N. Kittinger, Trisann M. Bambico & Edward W. Glazier

  3. The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, 923 Nu‘uanu Avenue, Honolulu, HI, 96817, USA

    Dwayne Minton, Manuel Mejia, Nahaku Kalei & Bradley Wong

  4. Mālama Maunalua, 377 Keahole Street, Suite E-209, Honolulu, HI, 96825, USA

    Alyssa Miller

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Correspondence to John N. Kittinger.

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Kittinger, J.N., Bambico, T.M., Minton, D. et al. Restoring ecosystems, restoring community: socioeconomic and cultural dimensions of a community-based coral reef restoration project. Reg Environ Change 16, 301–313 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0572-x

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