From the Mountains to the Sea

• This article describes wetland restoration work in Hawai'i, in which Indigenous land management practices of the past are revived to improve water quality and habitats from the mountains down to the sea.
• Students will read about the current restoration efforts that utilize lessons learned from the traditional ahupua‘a system, which employed practices like grazing, fish pond creation, and wetland farming to holistically manage water, crops, and wildlife.

Positives

• This article presents an excellent description of how of watersheds are interconnected and how viewing their use and management holistically can improve habitat quality.
• There are effective visuals to guide the reader in understanding the Hawaiian watershed system because in the pictures you can see how the mountains, streams, and fish ponds are geographically close and interconnected.
• This article shows the value of considering Indigenous cultural values and ideas in environmental stewardship.

Additional Prerequisites

• Learners should be familiar with ecological terms such as invasive species, environmental restoration, and watershed management.

Differentiation

• This article could be useful in a social studies or geography class in examining Indigenous practices in environmental management and stewardship.
• As an extension, have students investigate their own watershed and explore its ecology and various land management practices employed within its boundaries.
• To accompany the reading, consider building a model ahupua‘a out of clay or recyclable materials and running water through it.
• To explore additional ways that Indigenous knowledge is valuable in protecting the environment consider watching this video.