June 28, 2021 — Co-trustees of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument recently released Mai Ka Po Mai, a historic-guidance document that will help federal and state agencies further integrate Native Hawaiian culture into all areas of management of the 582,578-square-mile protected region in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
“Mai Ka Po Mai is a groundbreaking document,” said Dr. Sylvia Hussey, Office of Hawaiian Affairs CEO and ka pouhana in a press release.
“This document demonstrates that providing Native Hawaiian voices equal footing with federal and state entities in a complex management structure can lead to the successful stewardship of our most precious natural and cultural resources,” she said.
”Moreover, it shows that traditional indigenous resource management is a best-management practice to address climate change and other environmental challenges currently facing humanity. We hope that this stewardship approach is replicated elsewhere in Hawai‘i and throughout the globe.”
Mai Ka Po Mai establishes a collaborative management framework for incorporating Native Hawaiian culture into the stewardship of Papahanaumokuakea for the four monument co-trustees: the federal Department of Commerce and Department of the Interior, state of Hawai‘i and OHA.