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School of Life Sciences' Friday Seminar

"Marine Stewardship Through the Lenses of Loko Iʻa and Mauka-Makai Interactions" - Speaker: Dr. Nākoa Farrant, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences * Abstract: The reciprocal relationships that Native Hawaiians form with ʻāina are rooted in the interconnectedness of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, overlapping with principles of ridge-to-reef stewardship that are gaining popularity. Communities restoring dozens of loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishponds) and other biocultural systems across Hawaiʻi perpetuate these practices today. Many loko iʻa are situated along the coast to leverage the exchange of nutrients and energy to create nurseries for fish and amplify abundance in marine ecosystems. Yet questions persist regarding how past and present land uses impact restoration and what strategies could enhance the function of loko iʻa as hubs of marine resilience. I combine quantitative and qualitative methods and observe processes across scales from microbially-mediated nutrient cycling to changes in landscape ecology to investigate mauka-makai dynamics and their implications for loko iʻa restoration. Through this diversity of methods, I aim to uplift community voices and bridge ancestral knowledge and contemporary observations to advance our understanding of the role that loko iʻa can play in culturally grounded, community-led marine conservation.

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School of Life Sciences, Mānoa Campus

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