Linking People and Land in Hawaii

Hannahs directs the land assets division for Kamehameha Schools, the largest private landowner in the state of Hawaii . In the last six years, he has been leading the organization ‘ s transformation of its land management from an economically focused enterprise to a holistic strategy incorporating the environment, Hawaiian culture, education, and community into its land-use decisions. Hannahs facilitated the development of a strategic plan for 2000–2015—one in which educational, environmental, cultural, and community returns were placed on balance with economic ones. In August, Kamehameha Schools became the first Hawaiian landowner to receive Forest Stewardship Council certification for its 34,600-acre Honaunau Management Area on the island of Hawaii . The schools have also formed partnerships promoting coordinated management of watersheds throughout the state. As part of a partnership with the Nature Conservancy and other agencies, land-use managers have been working on Kauai to preserve lowland forests with dozens of native shrub and tree species, and on their lands at Keauhou Ranch on the Big Island , trying to rehabilitate the land after years of intensive cattle grazing and logging.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org