We are taking a huge step to guarantee protected spaces for our most endangered species and habitats, and it is now law! I wrote SB3253 to establish a new network of conservation sanctuaries across our islands. Hawaii has more endangered species than the rest of the country combined, and we are losing many of them forever, every year. Yet, here our environment is our economy, our culture, our way of life, and we must do more to protect it.

This model is built on proven successes in other island communities like New Zealand, where native birds and habitats face similar extinction. But they have turned things around by starting community-driven efforts to enclose key areas with predator-proof fences that can let people in, but keep mongooses, rats, and other dangers out.

These safe spaces have allowed endangered birds and other species on the brink of extinction to once again thrive and spread far beyond their sanctuaries. Today native birds that were once functionally extinct and unseen for generations are now a common site in nearby communities and people’s front yards.

We can do the same in Hawaii by adapting proven strategies like these. The Hawaii Conservation Sanctuary established by SB3253 will be a community-driven non-profit organization that works together with the state to create safe spaces where endangered species can recover, native ecosystems can be restored, and future generations can experience Hawaii’s native species found nowhere else in the world. Mahalo to everyone who worked together to make this possible!