Media Release

Hawaii’s Largest Environmental Conservation Organization Just Got Larger

The Hawaii Conservation Alliance (HCA) held its annual retreat last week on the Big Island. The twelve member organizations present unanimously voted for the inclusion of three new organizations into the Alliance, and the immediate release of the Warren Report on Hawaii’s biosecurity systems, commissioned by the HCA in July and August 2006.

The Hawaii Conservation Alliance, formerly called the Secretariat for Conservation Biology, is a cooperative partnership of government, education and non-profit organizations that are strongly committed to environmental conservation in the Hawaiian Islands through land management, scholarly research and financial incentives. Agencies newly confirmed to join the Hawaii Conservation Alliance are: the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Defense Army Environmental Division, and the NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program.

This annual gathering of partner organizations met to discuss the importance of defining effective conservation management on their extensive holdings, which includes about 86% of conservation land and 100% marine areas statewide. Also discussed at the retreat were some of HCA’s goals and activities which include:

• Educating Hawaii’s leaders in the importance of conservation issues and focusing on high priority problems
• Achieving effective management of ninety percent of Hawaii’s native ecosystems existing in the year 2000 by 2020
• Supporting the restoration of rare and endangered species and their habitats
• Increasing the support for high priority management-oriented conservation research
• Strengthening the skills of conservation professionals
• Increasing public awareness and involvement in conserving and managing Hawaii’s ecosystems

“In a world where most people think of conservation in terms of water and electricity, these goals are very important,” said Michelle Mansker, Natural Resource Manager for the Department of Public Works, US Army Environmental Division, and one of HCA’s newest members. Dr. Chris Puttock, Program Coordinator for HCA aims to have a comprehensive partnership of both terrestrial and marine conservation managers. He welcomed the newest members, “To date the HCA has been primarily a land-locked organization. The inclusion of these new members will add a broader perspective to our conservation efforts.”

HCA provides information to Hawaii’s decision makers through Position Papers and briefings, and education to the conservation community through the annual Hawaii Conservation Conference (the largest conference generated within the state). The most recent conference this past July was also the most successful, with 835 participants.

HCA also sponsors Conservation forums, the most recent being the Hawaii Biosecurity Forum in early June. This forum led to the research and development of the just released Warren Report. This report compares Hawaii’s biosecurity systems with an “ideal” international Biosecurity system. Although the ideal is scarcely achievable by any nation it is a yard-stick that allows for the identification of priority problem areas, and from which recommendations for local, state, and national improvements can be made.

For more information about the Hawaii Conservation Alliance please visit our website at http://www.hawaiiconservation.org/.

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