Managing Environmental Diversity for Sustainable Human Communities: Lessons from East Maui, Hawai‘i, USA - Island Futures: Conservation and Development Across the Asia-Pacific Region - page 91

The montane rainforest between 1,250 and 2,000 m on East Maui is among the
least disturbed in Hawai'i. Feral pig rooting and trampling causes the least distur-
bance of native plant communities in this zone, and, partly as a result, these upper-
elevation slopes have the lowest frequencies of alien species. Montane rainforest
plant communities support critical habitat for endangered forest birds.
Subalpine Zone (~2,000 - ~3,000 m)
The subalpine zone occurs on Maui and Hawai'i above 1,800 m as a band encircl-
ing the windward and leeward summits of Haleakala, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and
Hualalai. Median annual rainfall at the head of Kipahulu Valley is still compara-
tively high for this zone (1,500-2,000 mm), with temperatures ranging between
3°C in winter and 21°C in summer. Extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations of
over 10°C affect soil temperature and plant growth and restrict vegetation to low-
lying bunchgrass or tussock-forming grasses. The subalpine grassland community
is considered the least disturbed tussock ecosystem in the State of Hawai'i (National
Park Service 1989 ).
The Context of East Maui Before European Contact
Despite the size and sociopolitical importance of Maui, and the Polynesian population
concentration and political development centered in Hana District, archeological
research in East Maui is quite limited. Regardless of the paucity of information,
researchers agree that Kipahulu and its neighbors (Hana to the northeast and Kaupo
to the southwest) were important relative to other districts in the islands because of
their abundant environmental and human resources (Krauss 1980 ; Lueras 1983 ;
Kirch 1985 ; Smith et al. 1985 ; National Park Service 1989 ; Kornbacher 1993 ).
According to Soehren (1963; cited in Kornbacher 1993 ), “They were coveted lands,
prized by the ali'i [hereditary chiefly or noble rank in society] for their abundance
of foodstuffs and all the valued products of the land and sea. Plentiful food and
resources made possible a large population, and many followers meant power to the
chief controlling the land. Small wonder, then, that Hana and Kipahulu were often
the cause of contention among ambitious chiefs. A few miles south, across the
Alenuihaha Channel lay Hawai'i, also endowed with wealth and powerful chiefs.
As might be expected, warfare was not infrequent”.
The Polynesian-transported landscape included the introduction of tropical root,
tuber, and tree crops; pigs; dogs; and chickens, along with the skills to modify the
landscape. Construction of agricultural systems based on designs developed over
centuries of practice on other Pacific Islands included lo'i (irrigated terraces),
retaining walls, 'auwai (irrigation ditches), and dams and were the basis of the
ahupua'a (Hawaiian land use units). An ethnobotanical survey of several ahupua'a
in the lower Kipahulu Valley found signs of extensive terracing for wet and dry