{"id":9171,"date":"2026-02-17T11:46:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coral.org\/?p=9171"},"modified":"2026-03-25T15:07:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T22:07:22","slug":"from-ridge-to-reef-science-to-action-across-maui-nui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/from-ridge-to-reef-science-to-action-across-maui-nui\/","title":{"rendered":"From Ridge to Reef, Science to Action Across Maui Nui"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the past year, we helped transform science into impact, growing research and relationships into measurable, on-the-ground impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Maui Nui, the health of coral reefs begins far upstream. What happens on land\u2014how water moves through wetlands and lo\u2018i, how coastlines are stewarded and managed, and how communities cherish their resources\u2014directly shapes what reaches the ocean. That\u2019s why our work focuses on the full watershed-to-reef connection, pairing science aligned with cultural foundations, restoration, and local leadership to reduce land-based pollution, strengthen native ecosystems, and create the conditions reefs need to adapt in a changing climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Renee Capozzola<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building the Scientific Foundation for Culturally Grounded Conservation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Good decisions start with good data. Without understanding where sediment, nutrients, and pollutants enter the ocean, restoration efforts can miss the mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past year, we advanced Coastal Zone Management projects by completing pre-restoration water-quality baselines with Kipuka Olowalu and Ka Honua Momona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work does more than collect numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our findings translate what communities have long known: Indigenous systems like lo\u02bbi kalo (taro fields) and loko i\u02bba (fishponds) function as powerful nature-based solutions. We’re working to gather evidence showing these systems not only strengthen local food security, but also slow runoff, trap sediment, improve water quality, and reduce stress on coral reefs before pollution reaches the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When sediment smothers corals or blocks sunlight, reefs struggle to grow and recover. By addressing these threats upstream, we give reefs a fighting chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advancing Restoration on the Ground<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Science informs action, but restoration happens in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Moloka\u2018i and Maui, partners carried out our large-scale coastal habitat restoration to remove invasive species that choke waterways, destabilize shorelines, and degrade nearshore reefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s progress included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n