How healthy is this landscape at the Aiea state park and forest reserve? Scientist Sam Gon will tell you its beautiful to look at and walk through.
He got an even closer look through his project "Effective Conservation in Hawai'i"

"We have all of these different protected areas in hawaii but for the first time we are going to take all of that protected landscape and report on about twenty different indicators on how well we are doing," said Gon.

Some of the questions he looked into: How healthy are the native species like the silvery kukui you see scattered along the valley wall, as opposed to invasives like the strawberry guava? And how effective is management?

Gon is optimistic with education and unprecedented public and private partnerships, like the Ko'olau Watershed Partnership and the Hawai'i Conservation Alliance.

"The collective goal of the alliance is to effectively manage the landscape and the ocean and maintain as much natural and native bio diversity as we possibly can over the years," said Deanna Spooner from the Hawaii Conservation Alliance.

The alliance puts on the ever-growing Hawai'i Conservation Conference, where Gon will present his project. It will include a free public film festival, art show and more, continuing the momentum to ensure preservation of our island home.

"If we want to continue to enjoy those amenities and have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe and places to recreate, we will collectively have to re commit to protecting these areas," said Spooner.

"You know I think that a sophisticated public is the key to the future. We all have to know how each of our actions affects not only the quality of life here in hawaii but how it connects to the world," said Gon.

For more information on the conference click here.