Mālama ʻĀina Plan for Moku o Loʻe Islet: A Case Study of indigenous-informed adaptation planning

Abstract

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center (UHCDC) and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) together set out to co-create a biocultural stewardship and adaptation plan for Moku o Loʻe Islet, Oʻahu where HIMB is located. The islet is already experiencing the effects of sea level rise and other climate change impacts. The HIMB leadership recognized that traditional and community knowledge should inform future stewardship and adaptation planning. The team worked with cultural leaders and kūpuna (elders) to adapt a framework of indigenous stewardship to guide the process of conceptualizing contemporary adaptation strategies. The process was applied to multiple listening sessions and co-design workshops with staff, students, researchers, and kūpuna. The resulting designs and stewardship plan incorporate both cutting-edge adaptation strategies with place-based, culturally-sensitive approaches. In this presentation we highlight some of the opportunities and challenges of the process and analyze how what we learned may be useful for other similar efforts. Some unexpected outcomes were the possibilities for deepening ancient connections with neighboring communities while re-establishing some of the prior kapu (off-limits areas) to protect sensitive ecosystems and cultural sites. Additionally, opportunities for retreat and welcoming the flooding were incorporated into designs that re-imagined ancient techniques such as fishponds and limu culture.