Mālama Maunalua is a community-based stewardship initiative for the Maunalua region of Southeast O'ahu. Mālama Maunalua's mission is to restore Maunalua Bay to its former health through a combination of values-based education and coordinated community management efforts.

The Nature Conservancy is working in partnership with Mālama Maunalua, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Mālama Hawaii, Hui Nalu Canoe Club, various schools and others to improve the environmental quality of the bay and its surrounding lands.

 is one of Hawaii's largest bays. It harbors a broad array of marine resources, including areas of intact coral reef (porites spp) and limu bed, at least two endangered Hawaiian waterbirds, among others. The marine resources are also important culturally and socially, providing at one time an extremely productive fishery of finfish, limu, and invertebrates for consumption and sale.

Community-Based Stewardship

Extending from Kawaihoa to Kūpikipiki‘ō (also known as Koko Head point to Black Point), Maunalua Bay

Within the past 40 years, these fisheries have declined by as much as 90% with a tremendous amount of habitat loss in the nearshore areas. The waters are highly threatened by invasive algae, land-based pollutants and sedimentation, intensive recreational use, and overfishing. The condition of the marine resources continues to deteriorate.

The bay provides a large number of recreational opportunities, including surfing, SCUBA, parasailing, outrigger canoe paddling, fishing, jet-skiing and boating. The region of Maunalua Bay supports a population of approximately 60,000 residents and thousands of visitors annually.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

The Conservancy became involved in this project to help protect the vast biological resources of Maunalua Bay, and to help restore the health of the nearshore reef system. In addition, we realized the great opportunity to develop a strong partnership with Mālama Maunalua and the highly motivated community of Maunalua Bay.

The Conservancy is working with Mālama Maunalua to complete a Conservation Action Plan (CAP), a process to develop site-specific conservation strategies, to prepare for taking action, and measuring success. Through the CAP process, the major threats and strategies for our work at

Maunalua Bay were identified and prioritized as land-based pollution, destructive fishing, and alien algae.

Our Partners

Mālama Maunalua

Mālama Hawai‘i

Polynesian Voyaging Society

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources

B.E.A.C.H. (Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawai'i)

Hui Nalu Canoe Club

Alien algae removal efforts

Hawai'i schools

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): © courtesy Mālama Maunalua (aerial, Maunalua Bay area).