%0 Journal Article
%T Marine Resource Management in the Hawaiian Archipelago: The Traditional Hawaiian System in Relation to the Western Approach
%A P. L. Jokiel
%A K. S. Rodgers
%A W. J. Walsh
%A D. A. Polhemus
%A T. A. Wilhelm
%J Journal of Marine Biology
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2011/151682
%X Over a period of many centuries the Polynesians who inhabited Hawaiˇ®i developed a carefully regulated and sustainable ˇ°ahupuaˇ®aˇ± management system that integrated watershed, freshwater and nearshore marine resources based on the fundamental linkages between all ecosystems from the mountain tops to the sea. This traditional scheme employed adaptive management practices keyed to subtle changes in natural resources. Sophisticated social controls on resource utilization were an important component of the system. Over the past two centuries a ˇ°Western systemˇ± gradually replaced much of the traditional Hawaiian system. There are major differences between the two systems in the areas of management practices, management focus, knowledge base, dissemination of information, resource monitoring, legal authority, access rights, stewardship and enforcement. However, there is a recent shift toward incorporating elements of the traditional scheme using methods and terminology acceptable and appropriate to present day realities. This trend is exemplified by the management plan for the newly formed Papah¨ˇnaumoku¨ˇkea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This is one of the largest protected areas in the world and is being managed with a focus on Native Hawaiian cultural values in relation to conservation, ecological, historical, scientific, and educational resource protection. 1. Introduction For the past century Hawaiˇ®i has been dominated by a ˇ°Westernˇ± model of marine environmental management. Recently, however, there has been a renewed interest in the traditional management practices of ancient Hawaiians. Throughout Hawaiˇ®i, a growing cultural, sociological, and scientific movement is working to investigate and revive some of these traditional management tools and to integrate them with modern scientific methodology. The native islanders had devised and implemented every basic form of what are now considered modern marine fisheries conservation measures centuries ago, long before the need for marine conservation was even recognized in Western nations [1]. Traditional restrictions on fishing in Hawaiˇ®i were achieved by the use of closed seasons, closed areas, size restrictions, gear restrictions, and restricted entry. Additional social, cultural, and spiritual controls strengthened the conservation ethic under the old system. Ancient Hawaiians used a holistic approach that we might now recognize and strive for as integrated coastal management. Bridging the gap between traditional management and Western science represents a challenge to
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jmb/2011/151682/