MAUKA

Be Smart!

• Pack out what you pack in

• Do walk on the land with a light footprint

• Pick flowers and plants with care.  Plants can die when roots and stems are damaged.

• Don’t release plants or animals into the area

• Make sure that boots are as clean as possible when entering and leaving the area in order to prevent the spread of weeds and soil borne diseases

• Get involved; help us manage our trails by volunteering with Na Ala Hele.

• Stay on trails

• Don’t disturb obvious cultural sites

• Respect native Hawaiian cultural practices and sacred places.

• Keep fires out of our forests. 

Ho’okuleana “to take responsibility”

Ho’okuleana is the theme of DLNR’s outreach efforts that strive to involve communities and constituencies in assisting in the management of our natural and cultural resources.   

In a single word, Ho’okuleana is focused on “responsibility.” Our individual and collective responsibility to:

Participate - rather than ignore

Prevent - rather than react

Preserve - rather than degrade Let’s work together to better understand, respect, use, care about and care for our natural and cultural resources and, by doing so, make Hawaii a great place to live.

Mauka – Makai From the Mountains to the Sea

Mauka (toward the mountains) and Makai (toward the ocean) are not just directional references; they embody our fundamental natural and cultural resources, land and ocean. Hawaiians believe there is a balance between ocean and land.  In traditional times, the ocean and its marine life were as well known as the life attributes of the upland areas. 

This intimate relationship with nature resonates today in the modern principle of sustainability.  We continue a strong interconnected, interrelated and interdependent relationship with our natural and cultural resources. 

Some call it ecosystem-based stewardship; to the Hawaiians, this was exemplified in the ahupua’a (an ancient land division system divided into strips of land from the mountain to the sea supporting self-contained communities.)

The legacy of the mountain-to-sea management system and the attention to ecosystem-focused sustainability continue today.  Living on islands requires balance in addressing human needs while protecting our natural and cultural resources. We must hold our islands in good stewardship for the generations to come.

Our natural and cultural resources are not simply historic sites, oceans, streams, mountains, trees, birds and fish.  They are the foundation of our economy and the key to our quality of life. Our natural and cultural resources define Hawaii’s “sense of place.”  They make and keep Hawaii, Hawaii.           

Mauka:

Cultural Significance Mauka lands have been occupied for over 1000 years.  There is a long history of historical and cultural significance of lands everywhere in this archipelago.

The Hawaiians recognize two broad ecological zones, the wao kanaka, or realm of man, and wao akua, the realm of the gods.

The wao kanaka are those areas where people live and work today.  The wao akua are the upland areas.  Please respect the wao akua.  These areas are still revered by Hawaiians and others as the places of spiritual renewal.

Many of these areas have Hawaiian names that reflect their unique features; even the winds and the rains in certain areas have unique names.

If you are quiet, if you open your heart and listen carefully you may experience the beauty and mystery that people have felt for centuries. 

Whether near the coast or in the most remote interior regions, there will be unique natural and cultural resources that we are all called upon to care for

– please be careful.           

Our Stewardship Responsibility The protected mauka areas have been set aside as preserves by the State of Hawaii because of their cultural, environmental and economic value.  In Hawaii we believe that people care for the land, and in return the land cares for the people. 

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the production of water.  Each island must provide for its own water needs.  Without water, the land cannot support life or people. 

It is for the protection of watersheds that most of our mauka areas were set aside as Forest Reserves. These reserves also contain some of our last remaining ecosystems.  These same areas were recognized for their importance as hunting areas, native ecosystems, recreation areas, and for their aesthetic value.

The State of Hawaii is committed to protecting these areas and passing them along intact to future generations.  We ask for your assistance in this important mission. 

Unique Environments

Hawaii is extremely diverse, with many unique environments.

On the Big Island one can go from tropical beaches to snow-covered alpine tundra in the distance of a few miles.

We have high-elevation bogs dominated by bonsailike trees and cool mountain streams. These are just a few of the more than 150 types of native ecosystems supporting plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.  Most of our native birds and stream animals, for example, are found only in these islands.

Our ecosystems have developed in extreme isolation.  Thorny plants that arrived millions of years ago have lost their thorns.  Similarly, toxic plants lost their poisons.

Our islands are like small boats in the vast ocean.  We all rely on them, and should care for them because our lives depend on it.

Please, walk gently, stay on trails and boardwalks, and do your best not to spread damaging weeds and insects

Source: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov