Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
rainforest supports the largest populations of endangered Hawaiian forest birds. Crimson, orange,
yellow, and green hued birds, the jewels of Hakalau, flit through the mist, pausing to sip nectar from
‘ōhi‘a lehua, inspire joy and wonder for present and future generations.
Kona Forest Unit (Ka Waonahele o Kona)
Mai Mauna Kea nō a ka‘a i lalo, a hiki aku i Mauna Loa, ma laila nō ka waonahele o Kona, kahi e
noho lewalewa ana nā ao ‘ōpua i ka ‘uhiwai e hō‘olu‘olu ana i ka ulu lā‘au. ‘Ike ‘ia ka ‘io e kīkaha
ana ma luna loa o ka papa kaupoku i ho‘owehiwehi ‘ia me ka limu. Ma lalo o ke kaupoku koa me
‘ōhi‘a, e ‘imi ana ka ‘alalā me kona hoa manu i ka hua‘ai, wai pua, a me nā mea kolokolo i mea ‘ai
na lākou. Aia nō ma ka malumalu o nā ana kahe pele kahiko nā mea kanu kāka‘ikahi o ka ‘āina, a
me nā iwi o nā manu make loa ma Hawai‘i. Kuahui maila nō nā hoa mālama ‘āina i ola hou ka
nohona o nā mea ‘ane make loa ma kēia ‘āina nui ākea.
On leeward Mauna Loa, where the clouds kiss the slopes with cool gray fog, lies the Kona Forest.
‘Alalā and other Hawaiian forest birds forage for fruit, nectar, and insects amongst the lichen-draped
branches and canopy of the old-growth koa/‘ōhi‘a forest while the ‘io soars overhead. In their damp
darkness, ancient lava tubes and cave systems shelter rare plants, archaeological resources, and the
bones of extinct birds. Conservation partners collaborate to restore habitat for the native and
endangered species across the landscape.
1.10 Refuge Goals
Goals and objectives are the unifying elements of successful refuge management. They identify and
focus management priorities, resolve issues, and link to refuge purposes, Service policy, and the
Refuge System mission.
The goal order does not imply any priority in this CCP.
Pahuhopu 1: E ho‘opalekana, mālama, a ho‘ōla hou i ka waonahele ma Mauna Loa ma ke ‘ano he
wahi noho no nā mea a pau i mea e kū‘ono‘ono hou ai ka nohona o nā mea ‘ane make loa ‘o ia nō ‘o
‘oe ‘o nā manu, nā ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, nā mea kanu, a me nā mea kolokolo ‘āina.
Goal 1: Protect, maintain, and restore subtropical rainforest community on the leeward slope of
Mauna Loa as habitat for all life-history needs to promote the recovery of endangered species (e.g.,
forest birds, ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, plants, and invertebrates).
Pahuhopu 2: E ho‘opalekana a mālama i nā ana kahe pele a me ke ola i ka puka mālamalama o nā
ana kahe pele ma ka waonahele o Kona, e kālele ana ho‘i i ke ola o nā lā‘au ‘ōiwi.
Goal 2: Protect and maintain lava tube and lava tube skylight habitat throughout the Kona Forest
Unit, with special emphasis on their unique and endemic flora and fauna.
Pahuhopu 3: E ho‘opalekana, mālama, a hō‘ola hou i ka waonahele ma ka ‘ao‘ao ko‘olau o Mauna
Kea ma ke ‘ano he wahi noho no nā mea a pau a me ko lākou pono ‘oia nō ‘oe ‘o nā manu, nā
‘ōpe‘ape‘a, nā mea kanu, a me nā mea kolokolo ‘āina.
Chapter 1. Introduction and Background 1-33