Human activity has altered nearly every landscape on earth, and eco- logical restoration to repair degraded ecosystems has become a conservation n ecessity. Hawai‘i is a microcosm for intense landscape change, where levels of native biodiversity and threats to it are among the highest in the world, and where Känaka Maoli ( Hawai‘i’s indigenous people), who stewarded these lands for a millennium, currently face massive inequalities. Consequently, biocul- tural restoration has emerged as a method to reciprocally restore ecological and cultural integrity and is especially applicable in Hawai‘i’s sizeable invasive- dominated areas. Since Känaka Maoli are an inseparable part of every land and seascape in Hawai‘i, any ecological restoration project has the potential to use a biocultural restoration approach. However, most restoration approaches are purely ecological, and for many conservation practitioners a sociocultural under- standing of the landscape can seem inaccessible. In this article, we discuss the value of a historical ecology approach (understanding the interaction between people and landscapes over time) for successful restoration and management of biocultural landscapes in Hawai‘i. We use a case study in Kahalu‘u, Kona, to outline historical ecology methods and available resources in Hawai‘i, includ- ing written documents, maps, imagery, archaeological studies, and interviews, and discuss applications of this approach on-the-ground. Potential benefits of employing this approach include expanding knowledge of reference conditions, understanding practices contributing to landscape function over space and time, and building meaningful relationships to engaging community around a site. We argue that a historical ecology approach is readily adoptable into ecological res- toration in Hawai‘i, especially in its human-dominated landscapes.
