HI HR47

Legislature encourages completion of The Nature Conservancy's feasibility assessment for reef insurance in Hawaii, scheduled for October 2020.

Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, state and county agencies, The Nature Conservancy, and other partners are urged to develop an implementation plan proposing nature-based coastal protection projects for the 2021 Legislature.

Nature Conservancy requested to share feasibility assessment results and recommendations for nature-based solutions to protect Hawaii's coasts from flooding and inundation with the 2021 Legislature.

Hawaii's coral reefs protect approximately $836,000,000 worth of coastal infrastructure from flooding annually and can absorb up to 97 percent of wave energy.

Resolution cites Mexico's Quintana Roo state as model that established Coastal Zone Management Trust Fund and purchased the world's first reef insurance policy to restore coral reefs after hurricane damage.