2022 Conservation Study Conference focuses on Protecting Island Earth

November 16, 2022

The Hawaiian Islands provide instructions and hope for managing finite resources

The Conservation Study Conference was held virtually on November 9, 2022. Members of GCA clubs from around the country traveled via zoom to the beautiful islands of Hawaii to learn how ancient Hawaiian sustainable management practices, paired with advanced science and technology, are improving the quality of lives both in Hawaii and abroad. 

Over the past millennia, Polynesians settled in island communities across Oceania, which covered a third of Earth’s surface. Through innovation and keen observation, they learned to navigate across this vast area, thereby enjoying the advantages of trade, shared abundance, and increased knowledge.

During the conference, experts explained how pre-contact Hawaiians promoted sustainability and extolled the brilliance of interconnected ancient land management systems. Scientists and environmentalists shared modern day efforts to protect native plant species and support community-based natural resource management initiatives in wetlands, fishpond, and seaweed beds. Presentations about Hawaiian bio-cultural practices shared with communities throughout the world and efforts for large-scale ocean conservation rang a hopeful note.

Celeste Connors, former Director of Environment and Climate Change for the Obama White House, grew up in Kailua, Oahu. She concluded the conference with a Call to Action for deeper understanding about the need to view and steward our planet as an interactive ecosystem with finite resources.  

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