A new land purchase agreement on September 12 between public and private entities is set to ensure protection and Native Hawai’ian management of a 25,856-acre area of rain forest known as Wao Kele o Puna, ending 20 years of controversy about geothermal energy exploration, as reported by the Hawai’i’s Trust for Public Land’s (TPL) website. The 40 square miles of forest, located near Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, has been used by native Hawai’ians for traditional hunting, gathering, and religious ceremonies for centuries, and is home to more than 200 species of plants and animals. Under the agreement, the Trust for Public Land will purchase the land from a private landowner and then turn the land over to the the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, according to the TPL.
Wao Kele o Puna has been embedded in controversy since the 1980s, due to its proximity to the Kilauea volcano, when the land began being developed for geothermal energy production, according to the online Honolulu Advertiser. Under the new protection provisions, the Native Hawai’ians have been assured that the Wao Kele o Puna forest will be protected from further geothermal exploration and other non-forest uses.
