About

The Hawaiʻi Sentinel Landscape spans over two million acres, featuring priority conservation, agricultural, and Department of Defense (DOD) mission lands on the islands of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Island. Given Hawaiʻi’s land scarcity, these areas offer a chance to promote the conservation of natural and cultural resources, mitigate encroachment threats, and promote land use that complements military activities.

Key military installations within this landscape include: Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi Island; Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauaʻi; and Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and U.S. Army Garrison Hawaiʻi on Oʻahu. These sites support the Military Services in maintaining regional power balances in the Indo-Pacific, enabling forces to coordinate on training that fosters a resilient and rapidly innovating Joint Force to deter aggression.

In Hawaiʻi, rapid urban and residential development threatens agricultural lands, native forests, and critical habitat while also obstructing low elevation flight and drone training, radar, and communication antennas. Environmental threats further challenge military readiness, community resilience, and cultural resources. For example, sea level rise and extreme weather anomalies erode shorelines, increase flooding, and impact underground aquifers. Extended drought periods impact freshwater resources and lead to more frequent wildfires. The Hawaiʻi Sentinel Landscape enables more than 20 federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners to collaborate on landscape-scale solutions to address these shared challenges.