UHERO

Value of Watershed Conservation

Native Forests as Critical Infrastructure: The Economic Case for Watershed Management in the Ala Wai

Native Forests as Critical Infrastructure: The Economic Case for Watershed Management in the Ala Wai

May 26, 2026

By Conrad Newfield, Yu-Fen Huang, Yinphan Tsang, Emma Yuen, Leah Bremer, Kimberly Burnett, Nathan DeMaagd, Jean Fujikawa, Nate Dube, Serene Smalley, and Erin Bishop Take…

Return on investment for watershed protection on Kaua‘i

Return on investment for watershed protection on Kaua‘i

March 20, 2025

Native forests provide many societal benefits, including protecting freshwater resources that provide drinking water and sustain culturally, economically, and ecologically valuable springs, streams, and groundwater…

Watershed Protection Provides Strong Return on Investment on Kaua‘i

Watershed Protection Provides Strong Return on Investment on Kaua‘i

March 20, 2025

By Conrad Newfield, Nathan DeMaagd, Christopher Wada, Kimberly Burnett, and Leah Bremer Read the full report. Kaua‘i’s native forests play a vital role in sustaining…

Scaling biocultural initiatives can support nature, food, and culture from summit to sea

Scaling biocultural initiatives can support nature, food, and culture from summit to sea

March 18, 2025

Biocultural nature-based solutions provide many social, cultural, and ecological benefits. Yet, there has been little research on related land-sea societal benefits, hindering our ability to…

New UHERO Environment contribution in Ocean Nature Sustainability. Scaling biocultural initiatives can support nature, food, and culture from summit to sea. 

New UHERO Environment contribution in Ocean Nature Sustainability. Scaling biocultural initiatives can support nature, food, and culture from summit to sea. 

March 18, 2025

Biocultural nature-based solutions provide many social, cultural, and ecological benefits. Yet, there has been little research on related land-sea societal benefits, hindering our ability to…

Linking climate, forests, and limu: Examining the influence of environmental change on groundwater dependent ecosystems in Kona

Linking climate, forests, and limu: Examining the influence of environmental change on groundwater dependent ecosystems in Kona

July 26, 2023

By Leah Bremer, Brytne Okuhata, Jade Delevaux, Angela Richards Doná, Celia Smith, Veronica Gibson, Henrietta Dulai, Aly El Kadi, Kosta Stamoulis, Kimberly Burnett, Christopher Wada…

Effects of Multiple Drivers of Environmental Change on Native and Invasive Macroalgae in Nearshore Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

Effects of Multiple Drivers of Environmental Change on Native and Invasive Macroalgae in Nearshore Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

July 26, 2023

New UHERO Environment and collaborator publication in Water Resources Research demonstrates the connections between forest management, groundwater pumping, natural hazard resilience and nearshore groundwater dependent…

What’s a (Better) Beach Day Worth? Economic Valuation of Changes in Waikīkī Beach Characteristics

What’s a (Better) Beach Day Worth? Economic Valuation of Changes in Waikīkī Beach Characteristics

May 24, 2023

Abstract: Whether beach nourishment, an established beach management measure, is justified depends on its benefits and costs. We apply a discrete choice experiment at Waikīkī…

Groundwater management for people and ecosystems under a changing climate: Insights from the Puʻuloa aquifer

Groundwater management for people and ecosystems under a changing climate: Insights from the Puʻuloa aquifer

July 26, 2021

By Leah Bremer, Ahmed Elshall, Christopher Wada, Laura Brewington, Jade Delevaux, Aly El-Kadi, Clifford Voss, and Kimberly Burnett Summary:New research from the University of Hawaiʻi…