IHVB, County of Hawai‘i and Waipi‘o Steering Committee Future Meetings on Hold

The Island of Hawai‘i Visitor Bureau with the County of Hawai‘i and the Waipi‘o Valley Steering Committee is taking a rest on future meetings to create regenerative tourism management actions to mitigate the impacts of tourism in and above Waipi‘o Valley until the current dispute between the County and Waipi‘o Valley Residents are resolved. The process encourages stakeholders of the community to understand the ecosystem, identify the impacts, and to develop community-based-solutions they could implement to manage its beloved wahi pana. As part of DMAP, the process increases opportunities for community members to share in an ongoing way about the impacts of tourism as well as Waipi‘o historically significant, and sacred sites. Through community and DMAP, steward programs, reservation systems, kapu land management practices, limiting access, and setting carrying capacity are some of the community-based solutions that are currently being considered and implemented to protect and preserve historical places across the State.  For more information about DMAP contact Rachel Kaiama at [email protected].