Mālama Maunalua has secured a $4.6 million award to expand its ridge-to-reef restoration efforts across Maunalua Bay, supporting environmental projects in East Honolulu. The funding will support work from upland native forest and stream restoration to stormwater improvements and coral rebuilding in the bay. Implementation is scheduled to begin in early 2026 and continue through mid-2028.
Federal grant fuels ridge-to-reef push
According to Oceanographic, the funding comes from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund and will support a Mālama Maunalua program called “Pipeline: Community-led Ridge to Reef Management to Mitigate Coastal Threats and Restore Watershed Habitats.”
What the grant will pay for
The project aims to restore approximately six acres of native forest, establish four green-infrastructure demonstration sites designed to capture over 850,000 gallons of stormwater annually, and outplant at least 3,000 thermally resilient coral fragments across about 10 acres of reef. The effort is also expected to involve thousands of volunteers and includes planning for a regional native plant nursery, as per Aloha State Daily.
Other federal backing
As reported by NOAA Fisheries, Mālama Maunalua is also a recipient of NOAA’s Transformational Habitat Restoration awards, with around $7.8 million allocated for ridge-to-reef restoration in the Niu, Kuliʻouʻou, and Wailupe watersheds. Mālama Maunalua’s Ridge-to-Reef project page notes an additional $8.1 million NOAA award for related implementation work, highlighting that the organization is drawing on multiple federal funding sources.
Partners and community role
The restoration effort involves multiple partners, including Protect and Preserve Hawaiʻi, Kuleana Coral Restoration, the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, the Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership, the Aloha Tree Alliance, Roth Ecological Design, the Ocean Alliance Project, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Organizers emphasize community involvement, with plans for monthly volunteer restoration outings, coral propagation sessions, and outreach to local schools and neighborhood residents.
This latest investment complements new protections already being implemented in the area. Earlier this year, the state established the Maunalua Bay Fisheries Management Area to support fish population recovery and improve bay management. Nature-based approaches, such as reforestation and green stormwater projects, aim to reduce sediment and pollution reaching the reef while strengthening coastal defenses against storms and sea-level rise.
How to get involved
Mālama Maunalua will hold monthly volunteer workdays for land restoration and coral propagation and is developing a regional native plant nursery along with green-infrastructure demonstration projects. Residents interested in participating or following the project’s progress can find event calendars and sign-up information on the organization’s website, including Adopt-a-Coral opportunities.
