| "The idea was not only to cut down the number of people attending the park, but to educate the people who do come so that they will treat the environment better." | |
| Peter Rappa, Hawaii Sea Grant Extension Service |
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Guidebooks describe Hawaii's Hanauma Bay as one of the premier snorkeling destinations in the islands, with crystal clear water, abundant marine life, and a living coral reef. But the impact of millions of visitors during the 1980s led to concerns that the bay was in danger of losing the very characteristics that made it so popular. Coastal resource managers have spent the past decade balancing visitors' desires to use the park with measures to improve the ecosystem's health.
"The popularity and attendance at Hanauma Bay mushroomed through the 1980s, so that by the end of the decade we were getting 3 million visitors a year," says Alan Hong, manager of the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. "It was difficult to foresee the massive growth and demand that occurred ... It exceeded all of our expectations."
The overcrowding resulted in loss of ground cover, heavy erosion, increased turbidity and water pollution, damage to the coral reefs, and uncontrolled fish feeding. In 1989, the City and County of Honolulu formed a task force to develop a management plan to address the park's overuse. Results of the plan included establishing strict rules and regulations on public use; developing an educational program; and implementing traffic and parking controls.
Hanauma Bay is a horseshoe-shaped bay formed in the remains of a tuff-cone volcano. While it is stunningly beautiful and features a multitude of marine life close to shore, one of the primary attractions of this half-mile-wide bay is its accessibility. Only a 30-minute drive from downtown Honolulu, it is probably the most popular snorkeling spot on the Island of Oahu.
The Human Impact
After the park was "discovered" by tourists, Hong says more than 12,000 visitors a day might stop at the park's two acres of sand and three acres of grass during the peak summer months. "It would literally be wall-to-wall people."
"People were just overrunning the park," agrees Peter Rappa, principal investigator with the Hanauma Bay Education Program and Hawaii Sea Grant Extension. "When the parking lot would fill up, people would park on the grassy areas, on the side of the road into the park, along the highway leading to the park. There were cars in every nook and cranny. It was killing all the grass and the trees, and the amount of garbage was just astronomical."
And even more visitors came by bus. A University of Hawaii survey of visitors showed that during peak periods there was a commercial tour bus dropping off an average of 42 passengers every 57 seconds. They identified over 80 companies that used Hanauma Bay as a destination site to drop off loads of people, Hong says.
The tradition of feeding the fish peas and bread also created problems. Hong notes that "on a day when we had 12,000 visitors, if only 1 in 10 fed the fish a loaf of bread, we estimated that we would have half a ton of bread dumped into the water that day." It also resulted in increased damage to the coral, and modified the behavior of the marine life.
"Instead of looking at Hanauma Bay as a natural area," Hong says, "a lot of people came in with the attitude that they were entering a petting zoo or circus situation. Hanauma Bay is much too unique a natural resource to use it in that respect."
Balancing Use and Sustainability
As concerns about overuse mounted, the city and county brought together state and local government agencies, as well as numerous environmental and concerned groups, to look into the problem and make recommendations. The Hanauma Bay Management Plan was developed, and implementation began in 1990.
Putting restrictions on commercial tour operators was one of the first steps taken. A permit system already in place was reevaluated and enforced. At the same time, Hong says restrictions went into place banning tour operators from dropping customers off at the bay.
Controls were placed on parking, so that "when the 300 parking spaces fill up, we shut down the lot and don't let any more cars in until spaces are available," Hong says. Towing is now enforced for cars that park on the highway leading into the park. Nominal fees for parking and admission of nonresident adults also were instituted.
The park now closes one day a week to give the resources a rest and allow time for heavy maintenance. Hong notes that simply locking the park up at night has "drastically reduced poaching and vandalism." Fish feeding has been banned, as well.
One of the most important elements of the plan, Rappa says, was establishing a public education program. Hawaii Sea Grant Extension, along with state and local agencies and concerned citizens, formed Friends of Hanauma Bay, a citizens' group that provides support to management and education programs.
"The idea was not only to cut down the number of people attending the park, but to educate the people who do come so that they will treat the environment better," Rappa explains.
The program began with a beachside information desk, but many visitors were missed, Rappa says. Volunteers now are positioned to talk to visitors lined up at the park entrance, and signs are posted throughout the area reminding people about conservation. A recent evaluation found the program has been effective at informing people about staying off the reef, and not feeding the fish or harassing the animals.
"All of this has helped us reduce the impact on the park and keep the park better maintained," Hong says. After the first year the plan was in effect, visitation to the bay went from 3 million visitors to 1.4 million. Visitation is now down to about 1.1 million visitors a year.
Rappa adds that crowds are now more manageable, illegal parking has been eliminated, and the amount of litter and garbage has been reduced by 70 percent.
"As world travel becomes cheaper and cheaper, we're going to see more travelers impacting coastal areas, even areas once considered unknown and remote," Hong predicts. "I hope managers from other areas can use the experience of Hanauma Bay. Now is the time to put in guidelines and restrictions, before you face an overuse situation."
For more information about the Hanauma Bay Management Plan, point your browser to www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/coastal/cookbook/page68.html. You also may contact Alan Hong at (808) 395-2211 or ahong@lava.net, or Peter Rappa at (808) 397-5840 or rappa@hawaii.edu.
