Puʻuwaʻawaʻa

Pu‘uwa‘awaʻa State Forest Reserve is a natural area managed by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and is part of the United States Forest Service Hawaiʻi Experimental Tropical Forest. Puʻuwaʻawaʻa is located in the moku of Kona and the ahupuaʻa of Puʻuwaʻawaʻa. The cinder cone Puʻuwaʻawaʻa with the volcanoes Hualālai and Puʻuanahulu together make up the land stewarded by the Nāpuʻu Conservation Project.

Puʻuwaʻawaʻa is a dryland forest ecosystem, one of the most endangered tropical forest ecosystems in the world. Puʻuwaʻawaʻa is home to many endemic, rare and endangered native species in Hawaiʻi such as hau kuahiwi (Hibiscadelphus giffardianu), hōʻawa (Pittosporum glabrum), and hala pepe (Chrysodracon hawaiiensis). Land managers, scientists and Kupu service members work together to mālama Puʻuwaʻawaʻa by removing invasive species and outplanting native species in order to restore the land degraded by cattle ranching, fire, and invasive species. We are proud to support and kōkua restoration projects at the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Kīpuka ʻOwēʻowē exclosure, including out-planting native species, clearing brush to reduce fire risk, and removing invasive fountain grasses (Pennisetum setaceum). Conservation and restoration efforts at Puʻuwaʻawaʻa are already showing great success, and Teaching Change is proud to be a part of its fabric.

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