Related Data
- High-Resolution Orthoimagery
- Marine Jurisdictions
- National Vector Shorelines
- Raster Navigational Charts
Related Tools
Partners in the Effort
- Hawai’i Division of Aquatic Resources
- NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office
- NOAA Pacific Services Center
Additional Links
Issue
One of the main objectives of the Hawai’i Coral Reef Strategy is to “reduce key anthropogenic threats to two priority near-shore coral reef sites by 2015.” In 2009, a coastal area in West Maui spanning three watersheds and their adjacent state waters was selected as a site to receive focused technical assistance to help meet this objective. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also leading the West Maui Watershed Project, which is planning important restoration work in these same watersheds as well as in two additional adjacent watersheds. To fulfill the objectives of both these partnerships, a full geospatial assessment of the sites was done, and a survey of local stakeholders on how people use these areas was required. Obtaining a comprehensive view of these uses was difficult because of the wide variety of uses and users, and the lack of existing information.
Process
The NOAA Marine Protected Areas Center (MPAC) developed a participatory mapping process to involve stakeholders in collecting coastal-use data. In June 2011, partners met with stakeholders to develop a list of island-specific coastal uses to map. In August 2011, three full-day workshops with 47 participants were held at the Lahaina Senior Center in Lahaina, Maui. These workshops used the MPAC participatory mapping process where stakeholders and local experts mapped the human coastal uses of the region using GIS software and an interactive whiteboard. Participants created geospatial maps on the fly for 17 coastal uses that included dominant and general footprints for each use. The use data were summarized using an overlay mesh of 100-meter diameter hexagonal cells. These data will be served on the Web and made available to the public via a Web map viewer.
Impact
The results of this project will be used to inform ongoing management and policy decisions of federal and state agencies responsible for nearshore coral reef ecosystems in Hawai’i. The information will be made available to local stakeholders, community groups, and nongovernmental organizations to help facilitate local natural resource stewardship efforts. Data and products will be made available via various publicly accessible websites.
The West Maui coastal-uses project area includes state coastal waters from the shoreline out to three nautical miles.
