On Molokai, 1,045 acres of land was purchased by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife and set aside for conservation and restoration, according to a Department of Land and Natural Resources news release.
The land is located in the ahupuaʻa of Mākolelau, which is located in East Molokai near Kawela. The ahupuaʻa is part of a high-priority watershed that contributes to Molokai’s aquifer, according to the State Commission Water Resource Management. In the high elevations, there are still intact native forests, which helps generate fresh water and reduces erosion that can damage coral reefs. On Molokai, the fisheries that rely on the coral reef help feed the island residents.
The Division of Forestry and Wildlife hopes to protect the land from the “summit to sea.” Plans to protect the land include controlling hoofed animal populations, such as deers and pigs, removing invasive species, restoring native ecosystems, and building a network of firebreaks, which will prevent the spread of wildfires. Through conservation efforts, DOFAW estimates up to four metric tons of soil will be stopped from entering the ocean and hurting the reef.
The purchase was made with a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and over $600,000 in private donations from the Nature Conservancy.
“We are thrilled to be part of this effort that recognizes the forest as critical watershed for the island and home to species found only in Hawai‘i. This acquisition provides an opportunity to restore native landscape across the ahupuaʻa from mauka to makai, and will benefit the reef,” Ulalia Woodside Lee, Executive Director of TNC, Hawai‘i and Palmyra said in the news release.
The newly protected area in Mākolelau is connected to other conservation lands, which will provide continuous corridors for endangered birds, the Hawaiian hoary bat, native plant species and invertebrates.