The Moku System: Managing Biocultural Resources for Abundance within Social-Ecological Regions in Hawaiʻi

Kawika B. Winter, Kamanamaikalani Beamer, Mehana Blaich Vaughan, Alan M. Friedlander, Mike H. Kido, A. Nāmaka Whitehead, Malia K.H. Akutagawa, Natalie Kurashima, Matthew Paul Lucas and Ben Nyberg
Additional contact information
Kawika B. Winter: Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Kāneʻohe, HI 96744, USA
Kamanamaikalani Beamer: Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge—Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Mehana Blaich Vaughan: Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Alan M. Friedlander: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Mike H. Kido: Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
A. Nāmaka Whitehead: Natural and Cultural Resources, Kamehameha Schools, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Malia K.H. Akutagawa: William S. Richardson School of Law—Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, HI 96822, USA
Natalie Kurashima: Natural and Cultural Resources, Kamehameha Schools, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Matthew Paul Lucas: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Ben Nyberg: National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalāheo, HI 96741, USA

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Through research, restoration of agro-ecological sites, and a renaissance of cultural awareness in Hawaiʻi, there has been a growing recognition of the ingenuity of the Hawaiian biocultural resource management system. The contemporary term for this system, “the ahupuaʻa system”, does not accurately convey the nuances of system function, and it inhibits an understanding about the complexity of the system’s management. We examined six aspects of the Hawaiian biocultural resource management system to understand its framework for systematic management. Based on a more holistic understanding of this system’s structure and function, we introduce the term, “the moku system”, to describe the Hawaiian biocultural resource management system, which divided large islands into social-ecological regions and further into interrelated social-ecological communities. This system had several social-ecological zones running horizontally across each region, which divided individual communities vertically while connecting them to adjacent communities horizontally; and, thus, created a mosaic that contained forested landscapes, cultural landscapes, and seascapes, which synergistically harnessed a diversity of ecosystem services to facilitate an abundance of biocultural resources. “The moku system”, is a term that is more conducive to large-scale biocultural restoration in the contemporary period, while being inclusive of the smaller-scale divisions that allowed for a highly functional system.

Keywords: Hawaii; biocultural resource management (BRM); ahupuaa; social-ecological community; social-ecological zone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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