Location: Kailua, Oʻahu

Size: 699 acres

Type: Fee acquisition (application for funding submitted, pending acquisition)

Summary: The fee purchase of Maunawili will connect 62,250 acres of protected vital watersheds and wetlands that are responsible for controlling flood waters and filtering sediment from entering the coastal ecosystems of Kailua Bay. Acquisition of this forest tract will ensure watershed function, improve forest management, safeguard stream water quality and quantity, protect critical habitat for endangered species, and maintain public access. For more information, click here.

Location: Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu

Size: 948 acres

Type: Fee acquisition (application for funding submitted, pending acquisition)

Summary: The fee purchase of Kāneʻohe Pali will ensure the protection of the forested watershed, critical habitat for endangered species, aquifer recharge, stream flow for nearshore coastal fisheries, historic cultural sites, and public access. For more information, click here. 

Location: Hana, Maui

Size: 89.6 acres

Type: Fee acquisition (funding awarded, pending acquisition)

Summary: The fee purchase of East Maui Rainforest (EMR) will protect coastal forest habitat for native seabirds, the Hawaiian hoary bat, and endangered plants, and allow managed public access to forest and shoreline resources for recreational, cultural, and subsistence uses. EMR will be added to the Ko’olau Forest Reserve, which is part of a network of 108,000 acres of managed forests on Haleakala. For more information, click here.

Location: Kula, Maui

Size: 3,433 acres

Type: Fee Acquisition (completed 2020)

Summary: Acquisition will enhance high priority watersheds, protect native forest and sub-alpine ecosystems, preserve endangered wildlife habitat, and increase public recreation and other forest management opportunities. This forest will be added to the Forest Reserve System and a comprehensive management plan will be developed. To learn more, click here.

Location: Central Oʻahu

Size: 2,882 acres

Type: Fee Acquisition (completed 2018)

Summary: This acquisition secures critical watershed, protects native habitat, and expands recreational and forest management opportunities by preventing forest conversion to development or agriculture. Helemano Wilderness Area will be added to the Forest Reserve System and a comprehensive management plan will be developed.  To learn more, click here. 

Location: South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island

Size: 1,000 acres

Type: Conservation Easement (completed 2015)

Summary: This conservation easement protects rare native rainforest on the slopes of Mauna Loa Volcano, preserves habitat for endangered species, and safeguards water quality. This forest also connects the adjacent Kealakekua FLP project and the State’s Onouli Forest; creating a vast area of contiguous protected forest. 

Location: South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island

Size: 9,000 acres

Type: Conservation Easement (completed 2011)

Summary: Once a former ranch, this easement protects a variety of native forest types and species, including Hawaiian sandalwood. Native forest restoration is underway, supported by reforestation efforts and sustainable harvesting of sandalwood.

Papa/Honomalino
Location: South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island

Size: 6.271 acres

Type: Conservation Easement (completed 2008)

Kapua Parcel
Location: South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island

Size: 1,800 acres

Type: Conservation Easement (completed 2003)

Summary: The Papa/Honomalino and Kapua conservation easements are part of the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii’s Kona Hema Preserve, a diverse mosaic of mid-elevation koa- ʻōhiʻa forest stands. These forests are habitat for endemic forest birds and are key link in the long-term protection of the forests in South Kona. To learn more, click here.

Location: South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island

Size: 1,800 acres

Type: Conservation Easement (completed 2007)

Summary: McCandless Ranch, now part of U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Hakalau Refuge Kona Unit, is on the southwest slope of Mauna Loa. The property contains some of Hawaii’s most intact remaining native forest and provides habitat for numerous endangered species. To learn more, click here.

Location: Puna, Hawaiʻi Island

Size: 25,856 acres

Type: Fee acquisition (completed 2006)

Summary: Wao Kele O Puna, now owned by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), contains one of the largest intact lowland native forests that serves  as a critical seed bank for forest regeneration of the barren lava flows. For OHA, the property provides an opportunity to contribute to the protection of Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources. To learn more, click here.