David Y.Ige | DLNR Press Release: NEW DASHBOARD PUT ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROJECTS ON THE MAP

(Honolulu) – Who looks after Hawaii’s landscapes and seascapes? Where do stewardship projects overlap and where are there gaps? To answer these questions, the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, a program of DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), announces the launch of the interactive online Forestry Mapping and Assessment Project. stewardship (STEW-MAP).

STEW-MAP identifies and maps the diversity of stewardship groups working across the landscape. An interactive map and dashboards display who manages the area, the main management methods, the types of sites and groups, and the services provided by the groups. Interactive network diagrams are also available, showing how stewardship groups are connected to each other in a larger care network. STEW-MAP was designed and supported by the USDA Forest Service, the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and a panel of community stewardship groups.

“We are excited to collaborate with the State of Hawaii and their partners on stewardship mapping. Project teams have demonstrated how this approach can be used to support the goals of equitable and inclusive community forestry,” said Lindsay Campbell, Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.

STEW-MAP Hawai’i currently comprises two geographic focal areas: the island of Hawaii (districts of North Kona and South Kohala) and O’ahu (districts of Kona and Koʿolaupoko). The project team inventoried stewardship groups and mapped their networks in an effort to build capacity. A total of 245 groups were interviewed, representing 2,000 volunteers, 4,833 staff and well over $143 million in annual budgets. These groups have also identified nearly 1,000 unique contributors to their environmental stewardship work.

“Our community of environmental stewards runs deep! said Heather McMillen, a DOFAW forester and affiliate faculty member at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. “These online tools highlight the sometimes invisible but very valuable work of community members who care for Hawaii’s lands, waters, special places and life forms.”

The survey results reveal a wide diversity in the scale of stewardship efforts, ranging from the stewardship of a single garden to working across entire coastlines and forest reserves. The project has also documented an extensive network of projects ranging from local to international landscapes and seascapes.

“STEW-MAP has identified groups that focus on environmental activities as well as education and cultural practices,” said Rachel Dacks, STEW-MAP postdoctoral fellow and senior researcher at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. “Environmental stewardship is a way to support holistic community well-being as well as environmental health.

Users interested in STEW-MAP can attend a Facebook Live demonstration on using the dashboard and map on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. on Kaulunani’s Facebook page.

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RESOURCES

(All images courtesy of DLNR)

STEW-MAP website: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/STEW-MAP/

Kaulunani’s Facebook page (for the May 2 live stream): https://www.facebook.com/Kaulunani

Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program website:

https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/lap/kaulunani/

Photographs (including the STEW-MAP web interface):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/41nblky5sgh3l08/AACK9l6OwoOn7qHVkuaJ7RKVa?dl=0

Technical report STEW-MAP: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/STEW-MAP/oahu/pubs/

Media contact:

AJ McWhorter
Communications Specialist
Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources
[email protected]
808-587-0396 (Communications Office)