One of the most powerful ways we can protect Maui’s marine environment is by addressing the impact of land-based pollution. The aim of our Reef-Friendly Landscaping (RFL) program is to empower resorts, agricultural businesses, and homeowner communities to move away from synthetic land-care chemicals and adopt products and practices that are healthier for plant and marine life.
Reef-Friendly Landscaping Curriculum and Certification
In 2023, MNMRC launched Hawaii’s first Reef-Friendly Landscaping certification course to provide access to RFL education. The 10-subject curriculum is taught by local experts in RFL practices and integrates expertise from the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s (NOFA) Organic Landcare program. Topics include site analysis, design, and management; native exotic, and invasive plants; wetlands and Hawaiian land care; and energy, pollution, and climate change. The course is available in virtual and hybrid format throughout the year.
In 2025, the course was adapted into a summit format in collaboration with the Kaʻanapali Operations Association, the Pilikahakai Foundation, and ʻĀina Momona.
The 2-day summit brought together landscaping professionals from resorts across West Maui and featured lessons, workshops, and hands-on learning.
Test Plots: Reef-Friendly Landscaping Across Maui
The success of the Reef-Friendly Landscaping program began with RFL test plots on properties across the island. Condominiums, resorts, and farms were among the first to pilot test plots in 2023, and after a 3-month period many saw positive results including a decrease in pest populations and weed patches, improved plant health, and disease resistance.
In May 2024, MNMRC collaborated with Maui Gold Pineapple to launch a 1-acre test plot on their farm in Hailiʻimaile. Throughout the pilot period, the test plot will be treated with a biological soil amendment, which is a liquid filled with nutrients and microbes to nourish crops while also enriching the soil. Made locally by natural land-care company SoilThrive Hawaii LLC, the amendment is applied via a custom delivery system specifically designed for Maui Gold. In addition to the soil amendment, 19 types of soil testing and crop monitoring will be conducted in the test plot throughout the next 18 months –the average lifecycle of a pineapple crop.
In late 2024, MNMRC launched two additional RFL test plots, one at Waiehu Golf Course and one at Ichiro “Iron” Maehara Baseball Stadium, in collaboration with the County of Maui.
Building on the success of its first RFL test plot at Keōpūolani Park in 2022, the County of Maui aims to achieve similar results including water savings and improved plant health at the two new sites.
Supporting Lāhainā’s Recovery and Growth: RFL at Kahoma Village
After losing four buildings in the Lāhainā wildfire, the residents of Kahoma Village turned to the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) to help revitalize their community by using Reef-Friendly Landscaping (RFL) at a beloved park space bordered by the burned buildings.
The park has served as a hub for the residents and was used for informal gatherings and celebrations. As part of the rebuild process after the 2023 fires, the community wants to use RFL to create a welcoming space for healing and resiliency in the ongoing recovery process.
Through the generosity of a grant from the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife program, MNMRC worked with the community for over a year on plans to revitalize the park by installing fruit trees, shrubs, ground cover, and native plants in combination with the application of a locally-made compost tea and biochar.
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, nearly 200 Kahoma Village homeowners, community members, and local organizations gathered to restore the park’s landscape by planting 100 native and resilient species to support ongoing post-wildfire recovery.
The replanting featured 19 different species, including ʻulu, puakenikeni, mango, various citrus trees and more. The day was made possible through funding from the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and also involved: Treecovery and Maui Nui Botanical Garden; Kīpuka Olowalu, who donated essential gardening tools; Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, which provided expert landscaping support and equipment; and Surf and Turf Landscaping, which prepared the planting sites and ensured additional irrigation for optimal planting conditions. The plants were grown and cared for at Native Nursery prior to the planting day and Duke’s Beach House Maui provided lunch for all the volunteers.
Preparations for Saturday’s event began on Friday, April 25, when volunteers from Rotary Hawaiʻi, Rider Levitt Bucknell, Maui Bay Villas, and Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club and partners gathered to mark planting locations, set up irrigation and ready the site for a successful community effort.
With the community standing behind reef-friendly landscaping, there is potential for an even greater impact by connecting land to sea. Residents have expressed an interest in exploring coral restoration downstream of Kahoma Village near Mala Wharf. MNMRC already conducts water quality testing in the area and will continue to conduct reef surveys to explore opportunities for connecting land and water-based efforts on a larger scale.
There is has a big vision for what the space will do and be like once current construction ends and all plants are installed by the end of 2025 or early in 2026. People will be able to pick mangoes and avocados, host events, and even attend Reef-Friendly Landscaping workshops. Residents will continue to gather at the park for all kinds of occasions and the children in the community will continue to play there. It will continue being a major hub for all Kahoma Village residents, bringing a renewed sense of kuleana for the new plants.
