Publications & Reports
Economic Impact of the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services on the State of Hawai‘i in Fiscal Year 2024 October 21, 2025 The Department of Environmental Services (ENV) provides essential wastewater and solid waste services for the City and County of Honolulu, and its operations and capital investments contribute significantly to the local economy. This analysis estimates the economic impact of ENV’s fiscal year 2024 expenditures using the Hawai‘i State Input-Output multipliers published by the Department of […]
Enduring Impacts of the November 2021 Red Hill Fuel Spill: Health, Social, Economic, and Trust Implications October 15, 2025 This report presents findings from a follow-up survey conducted in July 2023—about 20 months after the Red Hill water contamination—with 174 people who had participated in earlier CDC/ATSDR studies. The study examines how the disaster affected participants’ health, daily life, finances, and trust in government agencies. Results indicate ongoing challenges, including physical and mental health […]
Supporting thriving water futures through education and career pathways: perspectives from the Hawai‘i water sector October 8, 2025 In this report, we share insights from representatives from the freshwater sector on how the University of Hawai‘i can best support a thriving water future for Hawai‘i through strengthening educational and career pathways. This research is a multi-department collaboration including the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization, the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience, University of […]
Economic Benefits and Costs of Biological Control: Coffee Berry Borer, Erythrina Gall Wasp, and Fireweed in Hawai‘i September 29, 2025 This report evaluates the economic costs and benefits associated with biological control efforts targeting three invasive species in Hawai‘i: coffee berry borer (CBB, Hypothenemus hampei), erythrina gall wasp (EGW, Quadrastichus erythrinae), and fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis). Utilizing historical data, expert interviews, and cost-benefit analyses, the study quantifies potential economic impacts and returns on investment (ROI) for […]
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 dependent ecosystems. The objectives of this report are to: (1) model future management scenarios for Kaua‘i’s native forests that are co-developed with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to quantify the impact […]
Blogs & BRiefs
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 the island’s freshwater resources. These biodiverse ecosystems capture rainfall and fog, allowing water to seep into underground aquifers, which serve as the primary source of drinking water. However, the expansion […]
Considerations for understanding water availability in West Maui January 21, 2025 This piece intends to highlight some of the inherent tradeoffs that make managing water in West Maui especially challenging. In particular, subtracting current/authorized use from “sustainable yield” as defined by the State Water Code and interpreted by CWRM may not be a reliable way to determine remaining water resources available for use. We hope summarizing […]
Social, economic, and health impacts of the Red Hill fuel spill: preliminary survey results January 18, 2024 By Leah Bremer, Tara Sutton, Ruben Juarez, Nicole Siegal, Nathan DeMaagd *University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), Department of Geography and Environment, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. BackgroundOn November 20, 2021, jet fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility directly contaminated the Red Hill Shaft well, impacting […]
Ecological Economics and the Circular Economy December 8, 2023 By Kimberly Burnett, James Roumasset, and Christopher Wada The Circular Economy In 1969, Belgian industrial designers Paul Jorion and Jacques Braijt proposed the circular concept of manufacturing products from recycled materials as opposed to the “linear” concept of producing them from mined or harvested raw materials and discarding the corresponding waste. The idea has gained […]
Reducing fire risk and restoring value to fallow agricultural lands October 23, 2023 This blog was conceived via conversations among UHERO faculty and fellows from diverse backgrounds from environmental economics, ecosystem services, economic diversification, and fire and ecosystems. It is meant to stimulate conversation, research, and action towards pathways to address the critical problem of fire risk from unmanaged grasslands and opportunities to support more generative landscapes. We […]
News & Media
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 finance and scale these solutions. To help fill this gap, we evaluate the land-sea benefits of scaling biocultural restoration initiatives in Hawaiʻi, including multi-strata agroforestry and high-elevation silvopasture combined with […]
Carbon Benefits of Agroforestry Transitions on Fallow Agricultural Lands – New UHERO Environment publication in Scientific Reports February 13, 2025 New UHERO Environment publication in Scientific Reports demonstrates important carbon benefits of transitioning fallow agricultural lands into varying agroforestry systems across Hawaiʻi. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-87891-y
New Study on Transfer of Development Rights and Sea Level Rise December 6, 2024 The City and County of Honolulu Resilience Office recently featured a report coauthored by UH ISR’s Alice McLean and UHERO’s Kimberly Burnett, Makena Coffman, Justin Tyndall, Kaila Ronquilio, and Christopher Wada. The study assessed the potential of using Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for sea level rise adaptation on O‘ahu. Results from the analysis suggest that TDR alone is […]
News: Co-Production of Knowledge at Sumida Farm Trains a New Generation of Community-Engaged Scientists May 13, 2024 A collaboration between the University of Hawai‘i (UH), Hawai‘i Sea Grant, and the fourth generation of Sumida farmers focuses on training a new generation of locally engaged scientists. A key partner is UHERO, an interdisciplinary research group that informs public policy across Hawai‘i. The overarching goal is to build a healthy, resilient, and sustainable agricultural […]
Towards more equitable ecosystem investment programs December 19, 2023 UHERO’s Leah Bremer is lead author on Global Water Forum piece focused on improving fairness and durability in ecosystem service incentive programs.