PROTECTING OUR MAUKA FORESTS: THE SOURCE OF FRESH WATER
“The Rain Follows the Forest- Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau”
is the Department of Land and Natural Resources watershed plan. The watershed initiative is working to ensure fresh water is available for the people of Hawaiʻi in perpetuity by protecting our watershed forests.
Fresh, clean water is an irreplaceable resource. It is fundamental to our well-being. It fuels agriculture, tourism, and sustainable development. In turn, our water supply depends on the health of our mauka native forests, which capture and absorb rain. With over half of the original forest lost, and the remainder threatened by exploding populations of invasive species, the forest now relies on us for its survival.