The perceptions of coastal resource managers in Hawai‘i: The current situation and outlook for the future

Coastal ecosystems around the world have deteriorated markedly due to anthropogenic impacts such as habitat alteration, resource extraction, pollution, and invasive species. Resource managers deal with these increasingly interrelated impacts as well as considerable uncertainty in scientific knowledge, funding and institutional priorities. Given that these issues can pose a serious impediment to sustainable management, information regarding manager perceptions relative to these challenges can be applied to improve the decisions of policy makers, funding agencies, and management entities. Our objectives will be tested in Hawai‘i as it is a unique system in need of study. Based upon the above considerations, the objectives of this study were to: 1) improve our understanding of who is tasked with managing coastal resources; 2) understand how managers perceive the system they are managing; and, 3) evaluate whether differences in perceptions exist across agencies and demographic attributes. Identified coastal resource managers (N = 87), hereafter referred to as managers, across Hawai‘i’s inhabited islands were surveyed in regards to coastal ecosystems. Respondents were predominately well educated Caucasian males, with state managers comprising the largest portion (50.9%), followed by non-governmental organizations (28.1%) and federal (19.3%). The largest perceived threat to Hawai‘i’s coasts were invasive species, while a lack of funding was the largest management challenge. Managers identified increasing resources, public understanding, and collaboration among agencies, as well as improving zoning and permitting as solutions to these challenges. Perceptions varied little across all respondents.