#UNESCO World Heritage Site

By 2080 rising sea levels could cause seasonal waves to reach Ahu Tongariki, the iconic ceremonial platform that is part of the Rapa Nui National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, according to a study published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage by a team of researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. This coastal flooding also threatens 51 cultural assets in the area, including Rapa Nui’s world-renowned moai statues. 

On Tuesday, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, accompanied by Tahiti’s canoe Fa‘afaite, arrived at their first stop in French Polynesia: Taputapuātea.

A team of 16 from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project removed 298,180 pounds of marine debris from the monument during three missions from April to October 2024. The removed marine debris includes 191,860 pounds of derelict fishing nets, 4,600 pounds of abandoned and derelict vessels and 101,720 pounds of plastic and other debris. The team also released four Hawaiian green sea turtles entangled in derelict fishing nets. 

“This document demonstrates that providing Native Hawaiian voices equal footing with federal and state entities in a complex management structure can lead to the successful stewardship of our most precious natural and cultural resources.”