The natural beauty of Maui's sandy beaches and shoreline areas is an extremely valuable resource to residents as well as to visitors from throughout the world. Beaches are vital environmental, cultural, recreational, and economic resources. The beach supports the habitat for many marine and terrestrial organisms including many endangered native Hawaiian plants. Healthy beaches are central to the health and vitality of the shoreline area and coastal waters. Beaches buffer ground water discharges into the coastal zone as well as discharges from septic systems and cesspools.
Beaches also provide for diverse cultural opportunities including religious activities and traditional ceremonies. Recreational activities tied directly or indirectly to the beach include windsurfing, surfing, snorkeling, sunbathing, walking/jogging, swimming, and picnicking, to mention a few. Furthermore, this unique attraction with diverse opportunities drives the economy by supporting numerous jobs and providing services to maintain Hawaii's thriving visitor industry.
Unfortunately, some of our sandy beaches are eroding and disappearing as a result of natural shoreline processes, development and hardening along the shoreline, and other human impacts. Recognizing the importance of Maui's beach resources, it is imperative that they be preserved, protected and restored where possible.
The State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has prepared a Coastal Erosion Management Plan (COEMAP) for the State of Hawaii, which reviews shoreline management options and policies in Hawaii. This statewide plan also provides a framework to encourage cooperation between County, State and Federal agencies, as well as community and environmental groups interested in and directly responsible for the management of our shoreline resources. COEMAP was recently adopted by the Board of Land and Natural Resources.
This document, the Beach Management Plan for Maui, focuses specifically on shoreline issues for the Island of Maui and is intended as a statement of the Maui County Planning Department's long-term commitment to preserve beach resources through effective beach management practices. Maui citizens can benefit from this plan by understanding coastal processes and potential negative impacts to beaches and related environments. Issues discussed in this plan include:
Shoreline processes are the net result of many interrelated systems. Effective management of shoreline resources requires input from several different fields of study.
The Beach Management Plan for Maui has been reviewed by a diverse group of experts (Table 1), and their comments and suggestions have been incorporated in this report.
Table 1. Beach Management Advisory Committee Members
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Eric Brown, coral reef researcher, University of Hawaii-Manoa Warren Bucher, coastal engineer, Oceanit Laboratories Ann Coopersmith, biologist, Maui Community College Charles Fletcher, coastal geologist, University of Hawaii-Manoa Skippy Hau, marine biologist, Division of Aquatic Resources, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Edward Laws, oceanographer, University of Hawaii-Manoa Phil Ohta, Maui District Land Agent, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Peter Rappa, coastal resource management extension agent, University of Hawaii-Manoa Glenn Shepherd, marine geologist, Maui Community College Lolly Silva, environmental planner, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kathy Smith, Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scott Sullivan, coastal engineer, Sea Engineering Dean Uchida and Sam Lemmo, Land Division, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Wendy Wiltse, West Maui Watershed Coordinator, State of Hawaii Department of Health |
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