Urbanization is spreading rapidly throughout Hawaii, especially on the island of O’ahu. Not surprisingly, Hawaii has also suffered the highest number of species extinctions. Today, it harbors the largest number of endangered species in the United States; indeed, one of the highest numbers in the world. As open space disappears, wildlife habitat and endangered species on and around military bases are becoming more important, making it more difficult for our military to balance conservation with its operations and training needs.

About 25 percent of O’ahu’s land is dedicated to military facilities and training. As development spreads toward military installations, land use conflicts increase. To meet this challenge, the Services have been working closely with private and public partners to identify land outside these facilities that can be protected, providing a buffer for important training activities and conserving lands vital to threatened and endangered species. 

U.S. Army Hawaii, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, U.S. Navy, USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, Hawaii Army National Guard, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, City and County of Honolulu, Department of Parks and Recreation, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Conservation Council for Hawaii, Hawaii’s Thousand Friends.

In late 2004, the Army, together with the Trust for Public Land, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State, federal, and county agencies, and private conservation groups, formed a consortium called the O’ahu Conservation Partnership (OCP), whose mission is to protect and restore O’ahu’s natural areas and open spaces.

The group is combining resources to develop a Geographic Information Systems-based tool (GIS) to assess the relative value of natural resources when setting protection priorities. The Partnership has identified 12,876 acres of land that could potentially be acquired by conservation organizations. Four large properties in these areas are likely to be available in the near future and discussion has begun between landowners and OCP members. Partners estimate that approximately one thousand acres will be protected in 2005 with funding from city, state, federal, and military sources.