The Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the windward slopes of Mauna Kea is an important habitat for native forest birds and plants, including several threatened and endangered species. The region has been subjected to a variety of pressures over time, including clearing of large swaths of native forest for agriculture and livestock grazing, the intentional and accidental introduction of invasive plants and animals that have degraded habitats and outcompeted native species (e.g., pigs, rats, mosquitos, Japanese white-eye), and climate change-driven changes in temperatures, rainfall patterns, and wildfire regimes. Surrounding lands are managed by a variety of entities for conservation and other purposes (e.g., hunting, ranching, recreation), and these areas are all undergoing extensive restoration efforts. This assessment identifies how climate change may compromise current restoration and conservation efforts in the region and how these activities can best proceed in a coordinated fashion to maximize the likelihood of success. This process convened the local conservation and management community in the Hakalau Region to share the best available science on climate change impacts, generate adaptation strategies to respond to and recover from these impacts, and facilitate conversations on how to more effectively coordinate across agencies and organizations to undertake restoration in a changing climate.
