While massive waves attract surfers and visitors to the North Shore of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i, they also cause coastal erosion and high sea level events that threaten coastal residents. Instead of building sea walls, the state took an ecological approach by restoring sand dunes in front of coastal properties.

Coral reefs off the west coast of Maui are readily accessible and heavily used by visitors and locals alike. To restore declining reef habitats suffering from excessive algae growth, Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources implemented a herbivore protection plan that restricts extraction of herbivorous fish and invertebrates from the reefs.

Rising temperatures threaten coral reefs, which dissipate wave and storm energy to protect nearby shorelines for nearly 200 million people worldwide. To enhance coastal protection, this novel project will identify thermally tolerant coral stocks, propagate in nurseries and outplant at three sites on O’ahu, Hawai’i.

To restore a degraded but historically, culturally, and ecologically important watershed on O‘ahu’s Eastern Coast, The Nature Conservancy collaborated with local partners aiming to restore 405 acres of wetlands and promote traditional Hawaiian agricultural practices. The project involves removing invasive red mangroves, replanting native plants, and restoring natural stream flow.

The Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility on the island of Maui were in danger of failing within a 1- to 10-year timeframe because of chronic shoreline erosion. The County of Maui opted for a nature-based solution that included a buried revetment, some beach nourishment, dune restoration, and vegetative plantings.