Safe Harbor Agreements

Safe Harbor Agreements

Pursuant to Section 195D-22, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS), a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) program is established to encourage private landowners to voluntarily manage their lands to the benefit of endangered, threatened, proposed, and candidate species with assurances that future property-use limitations would not be required as a result of these conservation efforts. A SHA, through the issuance of an Incidental Take License (ITL), may authorize the take of an endangered, threatened, proposed, or candidate species if such take is incidental to an otherwise lawful activity in or affecting the created, restored, maintained, or improved habitat. “Take” means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect endangered or threatened species of aquatic life or wildlife, or to cut, collect, uproot, destroy, injure, or possess endangered or threatened species of aquatic life or land plants, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct (Section 195D-2, HRS). Additional landowner incentives include annual recognition to one or more private landowners who demonstrate sound conservation practices and principles on their land (Section 195D-23, HRS).

photo SHA

Current Safe Harbor Agreements and Incidental Take License Holders

  1. Incidental Take License for the Reintroduction of the Nēnē to Puʻu o Hoku Ranch, Molokaʻi, and associated Safe Harbor Agreement. Approved in 2001.
  2. Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for Nēnē on the Island of Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi. Approved in 2003.
  3. Incidental Take License for Koloa (Hawaiian Duck) and Nēnē (Hawaiian Goose) on Umikoa Ranch, Island of Hawaiʻi, and associated Safe Harbor Agreement and Habitat Management Plan. Approved in 2001.
  4. Incidental Take License for the Introduction of the Nēnē to Piʻiholo Ranch, Maui, and associated Safe Harbor Agreement. Approved in 2004.
  5. Incidental Take License for Nēnē at Haleakalā Ranch, Maui, and associated Safe Harbor Agreement.  Approved in 2012.
  6. Safe Harbor Agreement for Kamehameha Schools Keauhou and Kīlauea Forest Lands, Island of Hawaiʻi. Approved in 2018.

 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A SHA INFORMATIONAL PACKET & APPLICATION.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON HAWAIʻI’S THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.

For more information contact the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Conservation Initiatives Coordinator:

State of Hawai‘i
Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl Street Room 325
Honolulu, HI, 96813
Ph: (808) 587-0166