This story was originally published by Honolulu Civil Beat.
Top ocean resource officials under Hawaii Governor Josh Green have quietly scrapped the state’s ambitious yet vaguely defined “30×30” marine conservation goal.
Hawaii became a national leader in 2016 when then Governor David Ige announced the state’s commitment to effectively manage at least 30 percent of the islands’ nearshore waters by 2030, coinciding with the international target of protecting 30 percent of the planet in the same time frame.
But Dawn Chang, Green’s controversial pick to lead the Department of Land and Natural Resources, or DLNR, said in a Jan. 30 letter that the Division of Aquatic Resources has listened to the community and is “adjusting accordingly” by ditching the “30×30” slogan as the stated target.
“We have heard from numerous fishers and experienced first-hand that the ’30×30′ language adds a lot of confusion about the initiative and is counterproductive in terms of having open dialogue... Read more
