M.A. - Geography
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Item From Farms to Frontlines: The Transformation of Biosecurity Policy in the United States(2024) Duerr, Anna Robin; Suryanata, Krisnawati; GeographyItem Interspecies Terroir and the Making of Bug-Bitten Tea(2024) Clark, Ashley Nicole; Jiang, Hong; GeographyItem Fluid Landscapes: Land Pawning and Livelihood Strategies in Salenrang, South Sulawesi(2024) Chambers, Shannon; Suryanata, Krisna; GeographyItem TRACKING WETLAND DYNAMICS: REMOTE SENSING AND DEEP LEARNING FOR COASTAL WETLAND CLASSIFICATION IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS(2024) Lambert, Amanda; Chen, Qi; GeographyItem Thought for Food: The Chinese Cultural Relationship with Food and Animals(2024) Rhame, LiEllen Mary; Jiang, Hong; GeographyItem A Case Study Of Open Borders: The Experiences Of People From The Republic Of Marshall Islands, Federated States Of Micronesia, And Republic Of Palau In Hawaiʻi(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Chun, Grace; Jones, Reece; GeographyIn light of the violence of borders, scholars and activists alike advocate for open borders, claiming net positive benefits of free movement. There are very few places to examine the lived realities of open borders, however. Migration through the Compacts of Free Association (COFA), which allows free migration to the United States to reside and work indefinitely, provides a unique opportunity to assess the claims and criticisms of open border ideals. The purpose of this case study is to evaluate the benefits of and limits to free movement between the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Republic of Palau (ROP) and the United States, particularly Hawaiʻi. Through oral history interviews with people from RMI, FSM, and ROP who move to Hawaiʻi, this research analyzes their experiences in Hawaiʻi after they arrive. I argue that while this open border is situated in complex military and imperial history, these people take advantage of the migration provisions of the three COFAs through education, providing evidence of the positive impacts of open borders. Furthermore, I argue that they experience inclusive exclusion resulting from the continued hierarchy of citizenship and racial hierarchy in the state. As open borders do not challenge the nation-state itself, the nation-state can continue to differentially include these migrants regardless of their legal residence status in such places as Hawaiʻi. This research aims to further unsettle the racial paradise discourse in Hawaiʻi and instead shed light on the differential inclusion into belonging in Hawaiʻi. By producing publicly accessible oral histories of migrants’ experiences in Hawaiʻi, this research redirects the narrative in their own voices, combating the negative stereotypes that racism perpetuates.Item Success Of Post-fire Broadcast Seeding As A Tool For Restoration Of A Hawaiʻi Dry Forest(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Warner, Taylor A'llyn; Beilman, David W.; GeographyDry forest ecosystems in Hawai‘i once supported a rich diversity of native and endemic species. However, the diversity, composition, distribution, ecosystem structure, and function of dry forests have been significantly altered due to human impacts, invasive species, and wildfires. As such, there is a great need for landscape-level restoration of dry forests, and the development and testing of methods for reintroducing native species in altered habitats. Wildfire, in particular, is a significant threat to vulnerable Hawaiian dry forests, with thousands of acres burned annually. These burned areas have high restoration potential through the use of methods such as native seed broadcasting, yet few studies have investigated the effectiveness of direct seeding for ecological restoration following wildfire in Hawaiian lowland dry forests. A broadcast seeding experiment was established at the Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve in 2018 after a 18,000 acre wildfire burned through a portion of the preserve (22 acres). To restore native plants to the area after the fire, the seeds of 10 native plants were broadcasted: ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa), ‘āweoweo (Chenopodium oahuense), ʻilima (Sida fallax), wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis), ‘āwikiwiki (Canavalia hawaiiensis), kolomona (Senna gaudichaudii), ko‘oko‘olau (Bidens menziesii), māmane (Sophora chrysophylla), pua kala (Argemone glauca), and ʻūlei (Oseomeles anthyllidifolia). Seeds were broadcasted under both a short (three rounds of herbicide, between October 2018- July 2019) and long-term (bi-annual, October 2018-October 2021) weed management treatment and in a fenced and unfenced site. A vegetation survey was completed three years post-fire to determine the density, richness, and diversity of native plant species between treatments. Compared to the short-term treatment, which observed only 3 species, the long-term weed management three years post-fire contained a higher diversity of native species with four of the eleven seed scattered species present. The long-term removal of non-native plant species allowed the native ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa), ‘āweoweo (Chenopodium oahuense), ʻilima (Sida fallax), and wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) to germinate and young plants to establish. There were significantly more ‘āweoweo and ʻaʻaliʻi in the long-term weed management treatment compared to the short-term weed management treatment, and the density, richness, and diversity of native seedlings established were also higher in the long-term weed management treatment. The density (mean stem counts) of ‘āweoweo was 6× greater (1483% increase) in the long-term compared to short-term treatment after 3 years. ʻA‘ali‘i density was 4× greater (989% increase) and ʻilima density was 8× greater (1077% increase) in the long-term compared to short-term treatment after three years. A Multiple Response Permutation Procedure (MRPP) showed that species composition was significantly different (p<0.05) between the long-term weed management treatment and short-term weed management treatment. Finally, no scattered seed species germinated in the presence of ungulates within the unfenced site. Controlling invasive plants (e.g., fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceous)) with herbicide long-term (three years) allowed the native seeds that were broadcasted to germinate and establish before the invasive grass reinvaded the area. Broadcast seeding can be an effective restoration tool in post-fire Hawaiian lowland dry forests, but only within an ungulate-free fenced unit. Moreover, long-term weed management is critically needed to increase the establishment of native plant species.Item Restoring People and Place: Building Biocultural Stewardship Through Grassroots Restoration(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Grandinetti, Jocelyn W.; Suryanata, Krisnawati; GeographyMotivating people to take action on ecological and sociocultural issues within their communities is vital and often difficult. Initiatives that engage people to participate in restoration and other forms of volunteering have the potential for empowering people to act both on large-scales and individual-levels. The increase in biocultural restoration sites in Hawaiʻi contributes to the conservation and restoration of threatened ecosystems while also perpetuating Native Hawaiian practices and Indigenous resurgence. Welcoming people from various backgrounds to participate, these biocultural restoration programs expose people both well-versed in as well as ignorant of the environmental and sociocultural issues in Hawaiʻi to grassroots biocultural efforts, transforming participants’ values and behaviors in the process. Through semi-structured interviews among volunteers, interns, and site managers, participatory observation at volunteer and intern workdays, as well as volunteer surveys, I uncover various ways these experiences foster culturally-embedded ecological citizenship, or biocultural citizenship. Though settler-colonial and capitalistic legacies continue to constrain the progress of these organizations, participants showed signs of biocultural citizenship fostered from experiences that restored their pilina (relationship) to ʻāina and people and empowered them to commit to this mālama ʻāina (taking care of the land) movement. Mechanisms that fostered citizenship included: having embodied experiences with land and food; connecting to nature and culture from a biocultural perspective; building social relationships and community; witnessing their direct impact on the landscape; (re)learning mo’olelo that decolonize particular places; having affective experiences; and (re)articulating one’s identity within the overall movement.Item Investigating Hawaiʻi’s Cesspool Outreach And Community Participation: Kahaluʻu As A Case Study(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Helfner, Sasha; Suryanata, Krisnawati; GeographyTo address the wastewater pollution in Kahaluʻu and statewide, Act 125 was signed intolaw in 2017 to replace all cesspools in Hawaiʻi by 2050. Scientists and researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi and environmental nonprofits such as Surfrider are actively sampling the water quality at Kahaluʻu Beach, as well as other bodies of water throughout Hawaiʻi. Under DOH criteria in 2017, Kahaluʻu had been identified as a Priority 1 Area with 740 cesspools in the area contributing to high levels of bacteria (Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, 2017). This may lead to: a disruption to coral in coastal waters, contamination of groundwater and drinking water, and harm towards human health. Through semi-structured and unstructured interviews, surveys, policy research and direct observation, I examined the knowledge, barriers, motivations, considerations, and perceived importance of the residents and homeowners in Kahaluʻu, as well as decision makers regarding cesspool management and water pollution impacts. This is important for legislators and public health professionals regarding water resource management for human and ecological health, and to incorporate environmental justice within this decision-making process. Environmental justice is important because it aims to redistribute decision-making power to marginalized communities to support equity in terms of accessing life-supporting resources and protections from hazards (Foster & Cole, 2000). Also, using Kahaluʻu as a case study, this study provides surveying and interviewing framework that may be considered for potential focus groups, stakeholder discussions, and town hall meetings to engage with homeowners about their concerns and comments.Item Examining Ecohydrological Implications Of Plant Invasion In The Leeward Koʻolau Mountains Through Transpiration(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Portner, Liat; Giambelluca, Thomas W.; GeographyInvasive alien species are regarded as a global threat to biodiversity and human well-being. Specifically, plant invasion can cause landcover change with negative results at multiple scales, from species impact (i.e., biodiversity loss) to community changes (i.e., species homogenization) and even disruptions to ecosystem functions. In particular, invasive alien plants can alter hydrologic flows by introducing aggressive water-use strategies and transforming the landcover's physical structure. Water resources of island communities are already vulnerable to the impacts of both climate change and overuse––and increasingly so, given the high invasibility associated with island ecosystems. On Oʻahu, the fourth-largest yet most populous of the Hawaiian Islands, groundwater resources contribute more than 90% of domestic water use. Furthermore, areas of high recharge in the Koʻolau Mountains overlap with critical native ecosystems threatened by plant invasion, particularly strawberry guava. To investigate how stand transpiration changes in response to strawberry guava invasion, a study site was identified where native ʻōhiʻa-uluhe forest and strawberry guava invaded forest occurred as adjacent stands. Estimates of stand transpiration were derived from sapflow measurements of ʻōhiʻa and strawberry guava, as well as vegetation surveys quantifying the physical structure in each plot. Additionally, sapflow responses to environmental conditions were investigated through concurrent measures of atmospheric and soil variables (i.e., solar radiation, humidity, and soil moisture). These data made it possible to examine how transpiration differs between these contrasting forest types and determine what characteristics explain them. Estimates of monthly transpiration were up to 5 times greater from strawberry guava than from ʻōhiʻa; largely driven by greater stem density and the resultant higher sapwood area per ground area generated by the monotypic strawberry guava stand. However, the ʻōhiʻa canopy in this forest type is open, with uluhe–an indigenous, sprawling fern–effectively acting as a canopy layer as well. Therefore, while native stand transpiration was estimated under two scenarios, which were still less than the total strawberry guava stand transpiration, sapflow measurements from uluhe are essential to quantifying native stand transpiration at this site. There was variation in sapflow velocity responses to environmental conditions, with ʻōhiʻa experiencing saturation of sapflow velocities with no evidence of strawberry guava sapflow velocities saturating under the same environmental conditions. As such, future work examining the physiological controls of transpiration for key native and invasive species and quantifying the changes to forest structure due to invasion is critical for future assessments of the ecohydrological impacts of plant invasion. This work further emphasizes how understanding the ecohydrological impacts of landcover changes due to plant invasion is critical for water management on islands.