Hawaii’s environment to draw the spotlight at conservation forum

Hawaii’s annual version of the World Conservation Congress will take place Tuesday through Thursday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Honolulu.

More than 1,000 scientists, policymakers, managers, conservationists, students and community members from Hawaii and the Pacific are expected to attend the 25th annual Hawaii Conservation Conference to share their research and offer updates on issues affecting natural resources.

The three-day event is expected to feature more than 80 hours of panels, forums, trainings and workshops on a range of topics, covering such things as the latest discoveries about native plants and animals and the newest technologies helping to revolutionize conservation.

Registration is open to the public.

“The conference is a critical venue for anyone working in conservation, from scientists to students,” Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Foundation President Randy Kennedy said in a news release. “For three days, attendees share knowledge about their work, learn about new tools and approaches and forge partnerships that increase our ability to protect our environment.”

This year’s theme, “Ulu ka Lala i ke Kumu,” which is a Hawaiian olelo noeau (wise saying), translates as “the branch grows from the tree trunk.” This is to acknowledge the role previous conservation efforts have supported and advance today’s work, organizers said.

Ecologist Fikret Berkes, an expert on indigenous knowledge and conserving common areas, will be the keynote speaker Tuesday at 10:20 a.m. The Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba, Canada, is the author of “Sacred Ecology” and nine other books.

On Thursday at 8:15 a.m. a gubernatorial candidate forum will focus on the environment. Gov. David Ige, Andria Tupola and John Carroll have confirmed so far.

Sessions, forums and talks throughout the conference will discuss a range of topics, including an update on an effort to safeguard endemic snails, the secret life of the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat and how old Hawaiian-language newspapers are being used to reconstruct climate patterns in Hawaii.

Other panels and talks will examine proposals to restrict invasive plant imports, technology-based conservation strategies and tools for studying endangered hawksbill turtles.

Many of the organizers of the Hawaii Conservation Conference were involved in the 10-day International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, which was held for the first time in Hawaii in 2016, drawing an attendance of more than 10,000 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

Major sponsors of this year’s Hawaii Conservation Conference are Kameha­meha Schools, Hauʻoli Mau Loa Foundation, Hawaiian Electric Cos. and Ulupono Initiative.