The forest has a story [electronic resource] : reforestation and cultural ecosystem services in Kona, Hawai'i

Ecological restoration -- the practice of restoring degraded ecological systems -- was for years seen as a largely biophysical pursuit. Critical consideration, however, reveals that it is a normative process laden with social value and meaning. The work described herein explores both biophysical and social aspects of forest restoration in Kona, Hawaiʻi, with the goal of ultimately aiding land management to better incorporate social value alongside more purely biophysical concerns. The research focuses in Hawaiʻi because of: the presence in Hawaiʻi of globally significant challenges to restoration; the prevalence of societal desire to address those challenges, as evidenced by an abundance of vibrant ecological restoration projects underway in the state; and Hawaii's tremendous cultural heritage and that heritage's relationship to ecosystems. The dissertation has two inter-related strands: the ecological and the social. The ecological work focuses on the science of restoration ecology. Although vegetation-based restoration projects are common and increasing globally, the effects of plantings on animal (or other) components of ecosystems are rarely studied. Chapter 1 helps to fill to this gap with an analysis of the distribution of parasitic wasps (family: Ichneumonidae) in a restoration landscape. This project found that native wasps were found in greater abundance nearer to native forest and in areas with higher surrounding tree cover. Chapter 2 describes an experiment designed to explore economically and biophysically feasible options to restore native forest to former ranchland in montane Hawaiˈi, focusing on one critical obstacle to restoration -- high light -- and on one potentially important opportunity in restoration -- making use of a native species that does well on its own (a common fern). The experiment found that the fern increases the survivorship of outplanted seedlings. The social component of the dissertation is framed with the concept of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES), a lens that can be used to understand the non-material benefits that people receive from ecosystems -- values such as spirituality, artistic inspiration, and identity. Chapters 3 and 4 are based on a number of related projects studying the non-material values associated with ecosystems. Chapter 3 describes a comparative analysis of interview results from Kona, Hawaiʻi and from a related study in British Columbia which the same interview protocol. This analysis aims to improve understanding of the use of qualitative interview protocols in eliciting Cultural Ecosystem Services. Chapter 4 focuses on findings from Kona, from a mixed methods study comprised of surveys conducted with 205 residents of Kona and in-depth interviews conducted with 30 residents. This study demonstrates which Cultural Ecosystem Services are particularly salient and oft-discussed in Kona, and the analysis focuses on heritage, spirituality, and identity. The results also suggest how these values may vary with length of residence, ethnicity, and age. Lastly, the work suggests additional issues outside of the CES framework (such as post-colonial concerns) that may be crucial to analyses of the benefits people receive from ecosystems. A local culmination of this work was a partnership with a local hula hālau [hula school] to communicate the findings to the local community. In January 2013, the hālau and other artists in the community presented results from the research (quotes, relationships, stories) in the form of a hula performance combined with multi-media artwork, and including dance, song, and spoken word. The show was called Pono me ka Āina, Nau ke Koho -- Be Right With the Land, the Choice is Yours.

Advisor: Ardoin Nicole M. (Nicole Michele) primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Daily Gretchen C.
Curran Lisa Marie
Mooney Harold A.
Satz Debra advisor. Thesis advisor