Nonprofits, government entities and local stewards are getting $68.5 million to bolster Hawaiʻi’s natural resources.
The funding comes from the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge initiative by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its goal is to bolster the United States’ approach to climate change.
Hawaiʻi recipients can use the money to restore local forests, watersheds, and coastal and marine ecosystems.
The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program was the official recipient of the grant.
“We are honored to have been entrusted with this award and opportunities for transformative work across the pae ‘āina,” said Darren Lerner, director of Hawai‘i Sea Grant and the project’s lead, in a statement.
“We will work together with two co-leads, Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo and the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, along with many other partners and communities, to build an enduring program and long-term partnerships in support of vital community governance and ʻāina stewardship for long beyond the five-year project,” he added.
The grant’s projects will be based on traditional Hawaiian stewardship practices. They’ll also focus on areas around the state that have been underserved by climate adaptation investments.
Conservation groups, state and county agencies, and the University of Hawaiʻi are among a dozen or so groups that will be involved in the projects.
