The Hoala Loko Ia program was designed to streamline the state permitting process for the restoration of traditional Hawaiian fishpond systems (loko ia) . The program was born in response to the advocacy of practitioners, who reported that it could take years, and sometimes decades, to secure all the necessary state and federal permits to repair the ponds.
A partnership of regulatory agencies, funders, and non-profit organizations was formed in 2012 to design a better process . With input from participants in Hui Malama Loko Ia , a statewide network of fishpond stewardship organizations, this effort addressed nearly three decades of concern and advocacy around this issue.
The completion of the Hoala Loko Ia involved extensive consultations with practitioners, scientists, resource agencies, and government officials. The program was implemented in 2015, and has resulted in 18 applications and approved projects , with an average processing time reduced from many years to under one month. Practitioners are now covered by an environmental assessment that provided scientific backing to the notion that traditional cultural practices have a positive effect on the environment, and a change in State law that acknowledged that the restoration of loko ia has a beneficial effect on water quality.
This presentation will share the process of multi-agency and public consultation to develop this system. It will explore how culture, science, and regulators worked together to overcome the many bureaucratic hurdles that stood in the way of the program's success. There are still regulatory burdens which impact fishpond restoration work, and we offer lessons learned and remaining areas of opportunity to ensure these significant sites continue feeding Hawaii communities long into the future.