The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program

E. Gordon Grau

School of Ocean and Earth ScienceSchool of Ocean and Earth Scienceand Technologyand Technology

University of Hawai‘i

OUR MISSION:

To support an innovative program of research, education and extension services, directed to the improved understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine resources of the state,

region, and nation.

Part of a network of 32 university–based programs in every coastal and Great Lakes state, and in Puerto Rico

Based on the Land Grant model

Faculty throughout Hawaii and American Samoa (located at UH Hilo and CC’s, and at State and local Agencies)

University of Hawai‘iSea Grant College

Program

Identify and address issues and opportunities

Connect NOAA to the University Expertise

Connect Coastal Communities to University and Partner Resources

Build partnerships to address challenges, exploit opportunities and increase capacity

What We Do?

SOESTThe University of

HawaiiNOAAThe State of Hawai‘iThe Pacific Region The CommunityThe Community

ResearchResearch

EducationEducation ExtensionExtension

ResultsResults

How Do We Do It

Excellence in research Excellence in education Service to the university and the

community Capacity building and stewardship Relevance to the culture and condition of

Hawaii Program elements leverage and synergize

one another Partnerships Utilize and leverage the resources of the

National Sea Grant Network and NOAA National leadership Link Hawaii to the Pacific region

Underlying Themes

Focus Areas• Sustainable Safe Seafood Supply

• Sustainable Coastal Development • Healthy Coastal Ecosystems• Coastal Hazard Resiliency

Cross-Cutting Themes• Globalization• Climate Change Impacts• Coastal and Ocean Literacy• Decision-Making Capacity

A face of SOEST in the communityProvides valued outreachApplies SOEST scholarship toward

addressing community challenges, needs and opportunities

Builds SOEST partnershipsWithin SOESTAcross the campus and the

UniversityWith governmentIn the communityThroughout the Pacific

Supports graduate education

Sea Grant and SOEST

Imported food and energy Resource depletion (water and inshore fisheries)

Waste and pollution

Habitat destruction

The Gift and the Challenge

Imported food and energy Imported food and energy

Resource depletion (water and inshore fisheries) Resource depletion (water and inshore fisheries)

Waste and pollution Waste and pollution

Habitat destruction Habitat destruction

Climate change and its consequences Climate change and its consequences

Generational Responsibility

"Then I say the earth belongs to each . . . generation…no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its own existence.“ Thomas Jefferson (1789)

"The nation behaves well if it treats resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, not impaired in value." Theodore Roosevelt (1910)

Manoa Valley, 1865

The Ahupua’a

Enoch Wood Perry

Sun, water, gravity, and fertility of the land and sea

Built on a watershed model, it was the economic, cultural, governmental and resource management unit of pre-contact Hawai‘i that supported

The Ahupua‘a

~600 ~600 thousand thousand people.people.

The people of Hawai‘i are using freshwater, energy, fisheries and other resources at rates and in ways that impair them for future generations and alter biological communities in coastal marine ecosystems.

In Hawai‘i, the economy is the environment

Honolulu, 1990’s

Sustainable Coastal Development

• Decades of population migration to the coast have transformed our coastal landscapes and greatly intensified demand on finite coastal resources

• Development impacts coastal water quality, water supply, traditional coastal businesses, traditional culture and way of life

• The great majority of problems that occur in coastal waters results from what we do on land

Sustainable Coastal Development

Sea Grant is uniquely positioned along our nation’s coasts to provide research, education and outreach to empower the development of healthy coastal communities that are:

• economically and socially inclusive

• supported by vibrant economies

• function within the carrying capacity of their ecosystems. 

Center for Smart Building and Community Design

• A Sea Grant-led partnership among the UH School of Architecture, the Travel Industry Management School, the College of Engineering and Department of Urban and Regional Planning (and School of Law)

• How we develop land and construct buildings has a great impact on ecosystems on both sides of the shoreline

• Mission: To support the development of economically vibrant, attractive communities that enhance their environment, economy, culture and quality of life

Partners: Coastal Zone Management, Waipa Foundation, Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei, Kamehameha Schools, Kauai Community College, U.S.F.W.S.

Partners: Coastal Zone Management, Waipa Foundation, Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei, Kamehameha Schools, Kauai Community College, U.S.F.W.S.

Ahupua’a RestorationAhupua’a Restoration

Aloha and Mahalo