All manner of life preservers have been thrown at Hawaii’s marine environment over the years – some in the form of protected areas for its coral reefs, and others in the form of threatened species designations in an attempt to save monk seals and humpback whales, for instance.
Still, Hawaii’s marine biodiversity continues to sink – with implications for both people and nature.
There’s still hope, however. A sturdy and agile vessel recently has been dispatched. Its mission is to safeguard Hawaii’s marine environment, the whole of which is greater than the sum of all its extraordinary parts.
Its name is the Main Hawaiian Islands Seascape Strategy.
Conservation International’s Global Marine Partnership Fund (GMPF) has launched this initiative with a broad range of international and local partners in conservation, government and business. It is supported by a $1 million grant from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.
The key is for measurable and meaningful conservation to be achieved in conjunction with improvement to human welfare and sustainable access to natural resources, says Jamie Bechtel, senior director of Marine Fund Strategy at Conservation International (CI).
“For conservation to be successful people must care and they ultimately must benefit from conservation efforts – be it economically, mentally, politically, physically, ecologically – the good news is that we all will benefit from the conservation of our global marine biodiversity,” Bechtel says.
“We are all inextricably linked to the species, resources, and services that ocean systems provide. From the air we breathe to the food we eat to the places we seek spiritual renewal,” she says.
The seascape strategy hinges on the idea that conservation efforts must focus on entire ecosystems of which individual species and reefs are important parts.
Seascapes are vast networks of marine protected areas, linked by intervening waters under other types of zoning. The areas that make up the seascape vary in their level of protection, from strict “no-take” zones to sustainable-use zones where some activities are permitted. They create managed areas large enough that marine wildlife can migrate, ecosystems can remain intact and productive, and economic resources can be used in sustainable ways.
The Main Hawaiian Islands Seascape is serving as a prototype for 10 more seascapes in the planning stages by the new Global Marine Partnership Fund. Says Bechtel: “We’re looking at tying these seascapes into a global body of action.”
The success of the seascape strategy depends on linking economics and policy change with conservation.
“Seascapes provide a dynamic framework, an exciting process, and an opportunity for all of the many people, companies and governments who rely on marine resources in some fashion to become engaged,” Bechtel says. “Seascape planning casts a wide stakeholder net – so to speak – assuring that everyone who does care or should care about marine biodiversity is doing their part.”
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