Trust for Public Land secures Hawaiʻi Sentinel Landscape Designation
Hawaiʻi has formally received a Sentinel Landscape designation, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced. Hawaiʻi’s designation ensures that, under existing federal conservation and the Department of Defense (DoD) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) programs, the state’s key conservation efforts will receive priority consideration for funding.
According to the DoD, “the Hawaiʻi Sentinel Landscape includes more than 2 million acres of conservation, agricultural and DoD mission lands on the islands of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi that have come under threats posed by rapid urban development and climate change.” Land use for existing DoD-funded conservation and military programs is reflected on updated REPI project maps.
The designation leverages tens of millions of additional dollars for land conservation, including farming and ranch land, watershed protection, habitat restoration management and climate resiliency in Hawaiʻi. It aims to enhance collaborative conservation, conserve natural and cultural resources, bolster agriculture, ranching and forestry, increase climate resilience, and support military readiness.
The new Hawai‘i Sentinel Landscape does not bring any new lands into federal ownership, but:
- Provides landowners and land managers with effective management tools and protection measures to support threatened and endangered species populations.
- Supports a landscape that is resilient to the impacts of increased severe weather events, sea level rise and wildfire.
- Develops initiatives that foster the sustained well-being of Hawaii’s conservation areas, working lands and local communities.
- Promotes land use near military bases that is compatible with DoD mission by safeguarding and maintaining open lands that support agriculture, conservation and recreation.
“Collaboration between local and federal agencies is critical to addressing Hawaiʻi’s most urgently needed conservation initiatives,” said Carlos Castillo, Hawaiʿi Sentinel Landscape program manager and coordinator for Trust for Public Land. “With this designation, we look forward to supporting Hawaiʻi’s farmers and ranchers, advancing sustainable land management practices, stimulating our local economy and increasing public access to the outdoors.”
As a result of the designation, numerous projects aimed at enhancing conservation and resilience will be initiated throughout the state. These initiatives may include efforts to restore and protect critical habitats, enhance water quality and management, reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and promote sustainable land use practices.
Examples of the types of projects that can be funded under the Sentinel Landscape include the permanent protection and purchase of agricultural and forested lands in Maunawili by Trust for Public Land in partnership with the State of Hawaiʻi and Native Hawaiian nonprofits Hoʻokuaʻāina and Kaulukalana, as well as the permanent protection and purchase of privately owned critical watershed lands known as Kāneʻohe Pali in the Koʻolau Mountain Range by Trust for Public Land in partnership with the state.
The designation will also apply to lands around several military installations across Hawai‘i, including the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua‘i; Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, Joint-Base Pearl HarborHickam and the US Army Garrison Hawai‘i on O‘ahu, and the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi Island.
The steering committee for the initiative is comprised of local and federal agencies, including Trust for Public Land, Hawaiʻi Cattlemen’s Council, Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance, Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Natural Resource Conservation Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Navy Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, US Army Garrison Hawaiʻi, Pacific Missile Range Facility, Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi, and National Association of Conservation Districts.
US Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) — a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense with jurisdiction over the DoD, as well as of the House Natural Resources Committee — supported the new partnership in a statement.
“This designation for Hawai‘i strengthens military and other federal efforts against threats to our recreational and agricultural lands, native forests and critical habitats, including sea level rise and extreme weather conditions such as drought that could bring on wildfires,” said Case.
Since 2006, REPI and its partners have contributed nearly $162.4 million to REPI projects supporting four installations in Hawai‘i. TPL purchased or facilitated the protection of over 16,300 acres of land on Oʻahu in partnership with state, local, and NGO partners, conserving 10 special places using REPI funding, in addition to other sources of public and private funding. In 2022 alone, over 4.4 million acres of land were enrolled in financial and technical assistance programs, preserving wildlife habitat, bolstering agricultural and forestry production, and reducing land-use conflicts around military bases.
For nearly 20 years, TPL has partnered with the DoD primarily through the REPI program, working with communities to maintain military readiness and protect natural resources through the reduction of incompatible development, conservation of habitat, and increasing climate resilience. The Sentinel Landscape designation was made possible by over a year of collaboration and facilitation by Trust for Public Land’s Sentinel Landscape Program Manager and Coordinator Carlos Castillo, whose position is supported by the Readiness Environmental Protection Integration program, and two Native Hawaiian Organizations, the Alakaʿina Foundation and the Hawaiʿi Pacific Foundation.
Since 2004, TPL has completed 94 projects nationwide with communities near 27 installations across 15 states. The impact of this work includes the protection of 170,000 acres, a result of more than $149 million of DoD funds and $206 million in other public and private investments.
Founded in 2013, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership represents the combined effort of DoD and the departments of Agriculture and Interior “to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, increase outdoor recreation and enhance resilience to climate change.”
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