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The Nature Conservancy Expands Kona Hema Preserve on Big Island

Honolulu, HI—The Nature Conservancy has purchased 2,240 acres of native forestlands at Papa in South Kona on the island of Hawaii, the organization announced today.  The land, which will become part of the Conservancy's Kona Hema Preserve, was bought from businessman Kent Untermann for $1.7 million.

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"The acquisition of the Papa lands completes our Kona Hema Preserve and expands it by a third to 8,061 acres," said Suzanne Case, the Conservancy's Executive Director in Hawaii.  "We look forward to managing and restoring this unique forest parcel and to working with other public and private landowners in the region to ensure the long-term protection of Kona's native forests."   

For the Conservancy, the sale marks the third acquisition of neighboring forestlands in South Kona in the last five years.  In 1999, the Conservancy purchased 4,021 acres at Honomalino. Two years later the organization acquired another 1,800 acres at Kapu`a, which lies adjacent to the south of Honomalino. The Honomalino and Kapu`a properties were purchased for $1 million each after significant donations by the respective landowners, First Hawaiian Bank and Leighton Mau.

The Papa parcel lies at an elevation of 3,200 to 5,600 feet and contains diverse koa, tree fern, and `ohi`a forest stands on lava flows of different ages. It provides habitat for the endangered Hawaiian hawk (`io) and the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat (`ope`ape`a).  It also provides habitat for four different native forest birds -- the `i`iwi, `apapane, `elepaio and `amakihi -- as well as potential habitat for the restoration of other endangered birds that occupied the area until the 1970s, including the `alala, or Hawaiian crow, and the Hawaii creeper.

"The koa and `ohi`a forest of Papa have been impacted by harvesting, grazing and fire, but have great potential for recovery through effective land management," said Rob Shallenberger, the Conservancy's Hawaii Island Program Director.  "We have already completed fencing projects to protect the Honomalino and Kapu`a portions of the Preserve from browsing by goats, pigs and mouflon sheep, and will begin a cooperative fencing project with neighboring landowners at Papa very soon." 

The Conservancy's expanded Kona Hema Preserve lies just downslope of the sprawling 116,000-acre Kahuku Ranch which the Conservancy recently purchased in partnership with the National Park Service for addition to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  It is also adjacent to the north boundary of the state's 25,000-acre Manuka Natural Area Reserve.

Kim Hum, the Conservancy's Director of Land Protection, noted that the native forests of South Kona and along most of the leeward coast of the island of Hawai`i present a distinct conservation challenge.  "The Kona region is the only place in the state where large tracts of native forest still exist on lands zoned for agriculture," she said. "So for forest restoration to occur on a large scale, we need to work with other public and private landowners to ensure the long term health of this economic and environmental resource. "

As part of that effort, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service is working to purchase a conservation easement over Papa under their Forest Legacy program.  This past August, the Conservancy and the Forest Service completed the state's first Forest Legacy project at Kapu'a. Forest Legacy is designed to protect environmentally and economically important private forestlands from conversion to non-forest uses by placing perpetual limits on how forestlands can be used and managed.  Under the program, private landowners retain ownership of their land and pay for all management costs. The Conservancy is working with the state and the Forest Service to encourage other private forest landowners to take advantage of this innovative federal program.

The Conservancy is also working with the Forest Service's Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry to conduct research on the potential for sustainable forestry in the region.  Those efforts, which have been focused on the 4,021-acre Honomalino parcel, will now include the Papa parcel. 

For more information contact Grady Timmons, Communications Director, at (808) 587-6237; Kim Hum, Director of Land protection, (808) 587-6241), or Rob Schallenberger, Big Island Program Director, at (808) 883-3973 or (808) 937-1775 (cell). 

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