Hawaii can protect wild coastal areas by:
Dedicated funds for acquisition of coastal lands
Hawaii, unlike several other coastal states, has no dedicated source of funds to acquire coastal lands. This means that local citizens must fight the whims of a developer until they can until they can secure funds to purchase land. In most cases, this results in long drawn out battles. The recent acquisition of the Ka Iwi coastline on the southern coast of Oahu is a prime example.
Many states have recognized the importance of open spaces and wildlands. California, New Jersey, Florida, and Maryland provide excellent examples of states with comprehensive programs to identify and acquire these lands. Most importantly, these states have dedicated sources of funds to acquire land. The two most likely sources of funds for Hawaii are the hotel room tax or general obligation bonds.
With a dedicated source of funds in place, Hawaii's citizens could spend their time enjoying our wild coastal areas instead of defending them.
Malama Kahakai Homepage / Hawaii's Wild Coastlines / Get Involved / Sierra Club Hawaii Homepage
Placing More Coastal Lands in the Conservation District
Lands in the conservation district have the highest degree of protection under Hawaii's land use laws. Conservation district designation does not preclude development, but urban development on these lands requires a higher degree of scrutiny and public input. There are several examples of placing lands in the conservation district as a means to protect them. In the recent Hawaii County General Plan Update, Mayor Harry Kim and Planning Director Chris Yuen proposed placing undeveloped coastal lands at Kealakekua Bay, Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park, and Kaloko-Honokohau National Park in the conservation district. This proposal comes in response to massive public opposition to resort development in these areas.
Malama Kahakai Homepage / Hawaii's Wild Coastlines / Get Involved / Sierra Club Hawaii Homepage
Preventing Urban Sprawl on Coastal Agricultural Lands
Hawaii needs to close the loopholes in land use laws that allow sprawling, urban developments on coastal agricultural lands.
With the decline in sugar production throughout Hawaii, vast amounts of coastal lands are not in active production but are designated for agricultural use. Because of loopholes in land use laws, developers can build sprawling, urban developments on these lands without public hearings and with little or no analysis of the impacts. These developments can impose serious costs on the public through their water use, polluted runoff, sewer and road infrastructure needs, and additional traffic. In addition, they pave over coastal open space and limit public access to the coastline. Examples of these developments abound: Donkey Beach on Kaua'i, Obayashi Project at Sunset Beach on O'ahu, "the Lucky 7" at Makena on Maui, and Hokulia on the Big Island are just a few.
Malama Kahakai Homepage / Hawaii's Wild Coastlines / Get Involved / Sierra Club Hawaii Homepage