Kuleana Coral 2023 Impact Report

BuildingCapacityforScalableImpact

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stan Kimura, Board President

Michelle Van Tassel, Secretary

Matt Parry, PhD, At Large

Sweetie Nelson, At Large

Duane DeSoto, At Large

BOARD MEMBERS (NON-VOTING) & FOUNDERS

BOARD MEMBERS (NON-VOTING) & FOUNDERS

Alika Peleholani Garcia Co-Founder and Executive Director

Daniel DeMartini, PhD Co-Founder and Science Director

Kapono Kaluhiokalani Co-Founder and Community Coordinator

Kuleana Coral Restoration is a nonprofit corporation under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. EIN 84-3445902. Your contribution is taxdeductible as allowable by law and your tax situation.

Home is not just a beautiful coastline and a thriving reef It's the people who care for and depend on it that make it truly special. This is the reason why Kuleana Coral Restoration (KCR) is so committed to the mission of restoring Hawaii's coral reefs to cultivate resilient marine ecosystems, for the enrichment of the culture, environment and economy of the people of Hawai'i and the World

At KCR, we believe that "He pūko'a kani ʻāina," a Hawaiian proverb that means "A coral reef that grows into an island," perfectly represents our work While our primary goal is to restore the reef, we have discovered that empowering the community with knowledge, skills, and pride has broadened our impact. We are not only growing colonies of reefs but also empowering likeminded people to make a meaningful impact on their own lives and communities

We are proud to share the progress KCR has made in this impact report. With the support of our community, partners, and team members, KCR is ready to embark on the ambitious goals outlined in this report. By combining indigenous and contemporary knowledge, we can make a scalable impact on our "Iwikuamo'o," our home

StanKimura

Stan Kimura Board President

F o r e w a r d

CUMULATIVE

OPERATIONS

MAPPING & MONITORING

cuba tanks (dives) raining Hours

RESTORATION

Large Rescued Colonies (LRC) fragments

PROGRESS

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

REPORT

3,741+ about 5.6 football fields!

photomosaics generated t followers & fans impressions engaged participants at outreach events

Resilient Coastal Communities

Community Based Coral Restoration Areas (CBCRA)

In Hawai’i, sustainability and resilience are intrinsically linked to our watersheds. Many of the solutions we seek to today’s greatest environmental threats lie in our ability to revive traditional indigenous practices, while building upon them with contemporary scientific knowledge and innovative technology.

KCR strives to be the “Makai” partner that supports and fortifies “Mauka” communities in their pursuit of ahupua’a restoration.

A resurgence of this resource management approach is currently taking shape at the local level. To ensure continuity and maximize benefits of these revitalization efforts across the pae ʻāina, we are in the process of developing “Community Based Coral Restoration Areas” (CBCRA)

These mauka-to-makai alliances embody the principle of uniting upstream with downstream restoration, all under the stewardship and management of the local community

By leveraging our existing partnerships and fostering new relationships across the State, we are building a robust CBCRA network. A network that will have the capacity to accelerate our response to anticipated climate disasters, while facilitating preventative measures through proactive restoration and climate response depot hubs Given the limited restoration activities in Hawaiʻi, the establishment of this network is not only long overdue, but a critical component of adaptive planning for our communities.

The success of this proposed framework hinges on the ownership & co-management alongside local communities, coupled with the revitalization of indigenous wisdom that sustained Hawaiʻi for millenia.

C

Community Partnership, Planning, & Permitting

KCRpartnerswithlocal communityorganizationstolead CBCRAeffortsandidentify restorationgoalsbasedon interventionpriorities.

Contingentuponcommunity approval,KCRevaluatesthe restorationpotentialofproposed sites,mapstheareathrough photogrammetryforbaseline understanding,andfacilitates communityexchangesandlandbasedoutreachexperiences

Coral Restoration

KCRbeginsdirectcoral interventionsattherestoration sitesalongsidepartners

Eachrestorationsitespans approximately4,000squarefeet, dividedintotwohalves:one dedicatedforinterventionandthe otherservingasacontrol Our templateischaracterizedby~6 pyramidmodules,~6dome modules,and~188Large RescuedColonies,butour CBCRAmodelisdesignedtobe guidedandadaptedthrough communityinputbasedonthe place-basedneeds

Long-term Monitoring and Community

Ourframeworkincludesscheduled assessmentsat6monthsand1 yearpost-restoration,alongwith additionalmonitoringfollowing criticaleventssuchasmass bleaching,orshipgroundings Throughmapping,comprehensive surveysandmonitoring,ourgoalis toidentifychangesinfish abundance,biodiversity,aswellas coralgrowth,coverage,and survival

KCRcanprovidenecessary trainingtocommunitypartnersto activelyparticipateinandsupport themonitoringactivities

Current Locations

The proposed network of CBCRA are intended to provide critical information about what works and what doesn’t, while considering variations in sediment, current, temperature, species, and the capabilities of partner organizations. Comparing pre-approved and consistent methods across multiple sites will inform archipelago-wide scalable restoration projects as communities deem them necessary.

PŌKA’I BAY

Restoration efforts in this area are guided by the moʻolelo (stories) of abundant finger coral that historically served as crucial habitat for juvenile fish. Currently 114 LRC’s have been outplanted, with the goal of an additional 100+ LRC’s & numerous finger coral fragments to be planted in the spring.

NĀNĀKULI

We are currently seeking community input for a potential restoration site outside of the Nānākuli muliwai which MLC is actively restoring in addition to efforts up mauka in Pālehua.

UNALUA BAY

store With Resilience ject is picking up mentum, and outnting of thermally nt corals is projected ur by Summer 2024.

KCR was thrilled to connect with lineal descendants in our area with indepth knowledge of the historical abundance where coral has declined as well as limu surveys and complimentary restoration efforts.

AIRPORT (KE’EHI)

Two restoration sites with 371 LRC’s have been planted in collaboration with NOAA and DAR. We look forward to deepening our knowledge of this area by connecting with local community groups.

HĀNI’O (KO OLINA)

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

Throughout the year, we engaged 2,600+ community members at 28 different events, strengthening existing partnerships and welcoming new participants Emphasizing experiential education, we held two coral fragmenting events at Ko Olina, contributing to a regenerative tourism model. Collaborating with Mālama Maunalua, Coral Resilience Lab and the Restore with Resilience Network allowed us to take part in multiple Hana Pūko’a events at Maunalua Bay

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE ITO

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE ITO

Our education and outreach efforts aim to inspire the next generation of stewards and ocean advocates. In collaboration with Pop Up Labs for Sustainability (PULS), we engaged 23 classrooms (595 students!) a significant increase from previous years Meanwhile events like NOAA’s Get in Your Sanctuary Day, Ko Olina Children’s Festival, and World Ocean Day at Waimea Bay enable our team to foster a deep connection with the entire, families, promoting awareness and appreciation for the ocean.

Pōka’i bay quickly became a focal point as we ramped up efforts to develop our first Community Based Coral Restoration Area (CBCRA) We shared our vision with residents at La’hoi’hoi’ea (Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day), inspired high schoolers to consider coral restoration as a career path at Ho’okea Mauka to Makai, and hosted a community work day in partnership with Nā Kama Kai to prepare large rescued colonies (LRCs) for outplanting outside the bay with an emphasis on supporting juvenile fish habitat

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE ITO

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE ITO

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE ITO

2,600+

Community members engaged throughout 2023

28 outreach events

CORAL RESTORATION

A YEAR OF FOUNDATIONAL GROWTH AND REFINING METHODS

Throughout 2023, we successfully applied insights garnered from the past three years to new restoration areas, leading to the outplanting of 486 large rescued colonies (LRC’s). We continued to explore fragmentation variations, planting a total 687 fragments on modules, including our first 11 fish habitat modules intended to immediately create spatial complexity and habitat for small fish and invertebrates.

habitat for small fish and invertebrates. These low risk pilot scale interventions will aid in informing best practices for artificial living reef projects. We aim to determine the most cost-effective fragment size, spacing, and substrate combinations that promote maximum growth and minimize mortality for each species.

Hanau ka ‘Uku-ko‘ako‘a, hanau kana, he ‘Ako‘ako‘a, puka

Born was the coral polyp, born was the coral, came forth

The Kumulipo (Hawaiians Creation Chant) tells us about the origins of life on earth through the eyes of our kūpuna

In this ‘oli, the coral is recognized as one of the first building blocks and oldest ancestors to the people of Hawai’i

As our team continued to grow, we also gained more experience and deepened our understanding of various restoration techniques, streamlining operations and boosting overall efficiency We continuously explore ways to refine our methods with emphasis on long-term success In the last year we identified ways to minimize loss due to detachment by adapting our attachment methods, experimenting with various adhesives, and restoration site design including spacing and configuration of colonies.

MICRO-FRAG TO MODULE

RESTORATION TOOLKIT

FRAG PLUG TO RACK TO MODULE

Approx3cm

DIRECT OUTPLANT OR STRESS TESTING

DIRECT TRANSPLANT LRC

OR

Our restoration toolkit deploys place-based, flexible, and modular intervention methods tailored to the unique needs of each community. We continuously refine our methods and establish best practices to ensure these tools are available when communities deem them necessary. For example, last year we introduced our Fish Habitat Modules based on our pyramid module design and explored applications for thermally resilient corals through the

in Maunalua Bay and Olowalu, Maui.

REEF STARS

As we have developed our Restoration Toolkit, we've addressed the persistent challenge of rubble stabilization and slow coral growth, crucial in our high wave energy environment.

Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS), part of Mars Incorporated, developed the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS) over 15 years, featuring structures known as "Reef Stars." This system is designed for ecosystem level impact, is resistant to wave energy, consolidates rubble and promotes natural coral recruitment Sheba, a MARS brand, is making a global impact through their Hope Grows Initiative with 40 sites across 11 countries with a total of 1.3 million corals outplanted and >112,000 square meters of coral restored so far

KCR is honored to have been selected as a partner in this initiative, and we will be piloting Reef Stars at a small scale to determine if they are viable for rubble stabilization and fish habitat creation here in Hawai’i

As a part of their efforts to establish a network of restoration training hubs around the globe, we were invited to Hope Reef in Indonesia to obtain MARRS competency training and witness firsthand the potential for scalable, ecologically functional coral reef restoration This hands on, intensive training program enabled our team to return home fully equipped to restore our own reefs using the MARRS method with a a deep theoretical and

practical knowledge of leading conservation and ecological restoration practices We celebrated this partnership with a launch event in July, which brought together stakeholders, community members and decision makers committed to supporting the reefs surrounding our islands on which we all depend Sheba’s support has also contributed to our capacity building efforts including training, purchasing safety equipment, and community outreach.

ConnectingAcrossOceania

GLOBAL RESTORATIONCOMMUNITY

Connecting via coral to strengthen ties between cultures across Moananuiākea that share voyaging heritage, a common cosmology, and creation stories.

3rd Hawai’i Coral Restoration Symposium

Gave two presentations, networked with restoration community, learned about latest research and collaboration opportunities

Indonesia

MARRS Reef Star competency training at Hope Reef

Guam

Learning exchange with restoration practitioners from CNMI, Hawai’i, Guam, and American Samoa

37th ICRI General Meeting

Participated in a panel learning about the importance of indigenous and local knowledge, values and traditions in reef conservation.

“”We should not be defined by the smallness of our islands, but by the greatness of our oceans. We are the sea, we are the ocean. Oceania is us. ” -Epeli

Hau’ofa

MAPPING & MONITORING

Significant progress has been achie our program by expanding restoration sites and training new members for data analysis We ad part-time monitoring technician optimized photomosaic data pro and implemented an AI-inte workflow for faster results

In response to potential mass ble events due to projected El Niño con we developed a coral bleaching re plan, staying ahead for future cha Fortunately, 2023 conditions didn't bleaching, but we are prepared fo Gathering key data for spatial species impacts, and mortality future management decisions

While our restoration interventio pilot-scale, our long-term vis ecosystem-scale restoration for rob populations crucial for local food s To enhance fish monitoring, we pa with Hawai’i Monitoring and Re Collaborative (HIMARC) unde Donovan Lab, increasing capaci cross-training with NOAA's Ecological Assessment methodology

SCIENTIFIC VALUE

Significance of TagLab Integration

As we expand to new restoration areas and analyze long-term data from our oldest sites, it is crucial to precisely quantify changes and evaluate long-term performance. Photomosaics are a powerful tool for population-scale monitoring; however, processing time has proven to be a significant bottleneck in our workflow.

Instead of spending hours at a time painstakingly tracing outplants, our team can focus on our big picture goals like increasing restoration output and engaging with the community while still being guided by the best available science and data

To address this challenge, our science team turned to the cutting-edge program “TagLab” a remarkable AI-powered segmentation software specifically designed to support the analysis of large orthographic images generated through the photogrammetry This software offers a range of powerful features that seamlessly augment human capabilities, significantly accelerating the extraction of key metrics such as percent coral cover, area, and perimeter. With the simple click of a button, TagLab can easily leverage these metrics to quantify growth rates It also facilitates fate tracking of individual coral colonies with ease

Ultimately, our goal is to provide a robust and accessible long- term marine resource monitoring system to supplement indigenous, traditional management practices for local communities throughout Hawai’i These monitoring tools represent a modern day form of kilo (watch, observe, forecast) which could also be utilized for limu, opihi, or invasive species depending on community priorities

DIVE AND BOAT TRAINING PROGRAM

Amajorachievementthisyearwasthelaunchofour COAST Program (Coral Occupational Applications&ScientificTechniques),acommunity dive initiative aimed at breaking barriers for West Oʻahu residents to enter marine science and restorationfields.

Despite growing up with deep cultural and economic connections to the sea, Native Hawaiians on O'ahu face many barriers to entering marine science and restoration fields and most simply can't afford to pay for expensive certifications or participateinunpaidinternshipsandopportunities

Determined to create equitable pathways and meaningful opportunities for our local community to fulfill their kuleana, we partnered with NOAA Fisheriesandotherorganizationstoconductourfirst 8-week intensive summer program providing SCUBA certifications, monthly stipends, and dive gear to 8

certifications, monthly stipends, and dive gear to 8 students

The program is funded by the NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, and combines classroom sessions with field-based restoration and diving skills, offering certifications such as Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Level, and Diving First Aid for Professional Divers Participants gain crucial skills, including coral ecology, restoration techniques, community outreach, and cultural connections

This program was tremendously impactful for participantsaswellasourteam,andthebestpartis we ’ re just getting started! COAST is funded for an additional two years, and recruitment for 2024 will begininspringofthisyear

STUDENT TESTIMONIAL

“Kuleana COAST offered the framework and connections to hope for a better future for Hawaiʻi's coral reef ecosystems. This program was more than an introduction to SCUBA, restoration techniques, and the dedicated staff who envision a path to restoration. COAST equipped me with the skills and confidence to play an active role in protecting the marine ecosystems that sustain my passion and the health of my community.”

The development and utilization of our Training and Restoration Hub at Ko Olina has been a vital component of this year ’ s success What started out at the beginning of the year as an empty storage space quickly became a bustling core of activity where we hosted classroom sessions and pre-dive briefings for COAST three times a week, a coral ID class by one of the top experts in the field, a collaborative meeting space for partner organizations and welcomed small groups for educational outreach Establishing a highly skilled and well equipped team of marine science professionals to lead restoration efforts would not be possible without this physical space

OVER THE PAST YEAR WE SUCCESSFULLY CERTIFIED THE FOLLOWING NUMBER OF DIVERS IN:

Following last year ’ s achievement of becoming an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) which is considered the “gold standard” for scientific dive programs, we began the training process for five team members in Scientific Diving as well.

PADI Open Water Advanced Open Water

Rescue Diver DAN DFA-Pro Restoration Training

Complimenting these land based components was the addition of another research vessel. The increased capacity of this boat will further facilitate training opportunities for our growing team, enable inter-island transport with ease, and boost restoration efforts. We are extremely grateful to Ko Olina for believing in our vision and expanding upon the original space available to us as we pursue long-term goals of establishing a strategically located Coral Restoration Center of Excellence Facility in the heart of the Hawaiian archipelago and the Pacific Ocean. The strategic position not only serves as a base of our operations with consistent access to South and West coasts of O’ahu but also inter-island connectivity to support growing restoration capacity on Maui Nui, Kauai and beyond

Looking Ahead

Mahalo