Community Perceptions and Priorities for Sustainablility in Anini, Kaua‘i

Abstract

Hawaiʻi will face challenges in providing visitors and residents with opportunities to enjoy the ecosystem services offered in Hawaiʻi. Ecosystem services, including outdoor recreational opportunities and the host culture, will create damage to the State’s natural resources, given the continued growth expected in tourist populations. This research focuses on the costal resources of Anini, Kauaʻi, a rural tourism community with significant marine habitat that is degrading due to development that supports its growing tourism sector. In addressing the question of “When is enough, enough?” the interests of all stakeholders, including community members, should be considered. The overarching goal of this thesis is to investigate the preferences and concerns of residents and tourists relative to current and future development for Anini, Kauaʻi. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to interpret survey respondents based on that prioritized future development. Both residents and tourists prioritized environmental needs, specifically land based pollution and runoff, before other sustainability objectives. Tourists tended to select economic objectives as the next most important while residents tended to select the social objectives as second most important relative to the development of Anini. Residents’ use patterns in Anini differed from tourists, showing little overlap in interaction between the two groups. Use patterns may have contributed to the perception of health, since residents felt Anini was in an unhealthy state and tourists perceived the area as healthy.