Helen Raine

1 Introduction Approximately 44% of Hawaiian wetlands situated along the lowland coastal plain (hereafter, coastal wetlands) were converted to rice, pineapple, and sugar plantations following European settlement (Burney et al. 2001; van Rees and Reed 2014).

Restoring wetlands in Hawai‘i can help reduce residential flooding from climate change. In 2018, a rainbomb dropped 50 inches of rain onto the North Shore of Kaua’i. Houses were torn from their foundations; residents ended up in shelters; and a massive landslide cut off northern communities for weeks. The phenomenon repeated in 2021, causing collective trauma – this time, a landslide isolated the town of Hanalei. At the same time, news footage captured terrifying flood scenes in Hale‘iwa, O‘ahu.

We love water in Hawai‘i! Easy access to rivers for paddling and kayaking, or the chance to hike to a waterfall, are a perk of living here. So it’s no surprise that water features heavily in Hawaiian place names. Waikiki means ‘fresh water’; Waipi‘o means ‘curved water’; and Wai‘ale‘ale equates to ‘overflowing water’. All that water means lots of wetlands, which is lucky for the islands, because wetlands provide us with all sorts of services and benefits.