Background

The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Marine Sanctuary Program on March 28, 2005, to assist the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve with scientific research to help inform the development of a science-based ecosystem management plan. When the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were declared the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by President Bush on June 15, 2006, the MOA continued as a NOAA Sanctuaries-University of Hawai‘i HIMB partnership. Since the initiation of the MOA in 2005, numerous undergraduate and graduate students have been supported; over 100 publications have been released that relate to HIMB partnership research; and more than 20,000 people have been included in our partnership outreach program including students, teachers, families and other community members.

Over the past five years the scope of work pertaining to the NWHI has been developed to:

1. Provide research support and new scientific knowledge for ecosystem-based management.
2. Understand connectivity through movement patterns and genetic population structure of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) species.
3. Characterize and determine levels of coral health in the Hawaiian Archipelago.
4. Support mapping and monitoring activities to inform resource management and track ecosystem threats such as climate change.
5. Provide education and outreach relating to marine science research in the Monument.

For more information, please visit us online at:
www.hawaii.edu/himb/nwhi