February 24, 2017—The 2016 Nāhelehele Dryland Forest Symposium will highlight dryland forest ecology and restoration efforts in Hawai‘i. The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, February 24, at the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona.

Early registration is $75 until February 14 and includes lunch and parking. Student registration is $40 (reduced from $55) thanks to sponsorship by Hawai‘i Forest Institute. After February 14 late registration increases to $90 ($55 for students). Registration is limited to 200 to preserve the quality of the event for everyone attending and to facilitate networking. There will be two accompanying field trips ($35 each, lunch provided) to Kaloko-Honokōhau National Park on Thursday, February 23 and to Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a on Saturday, February 25.

The dryland forests of Hawai‘i are fragile habitats that are home to many of the rarest plants in the world. Dryland forests were once considered to be the most diverse forest ecosystems in the Hawaiian Islands, but have suffered decades of deforestation and degradation. Only remnant patches of these habitats of highly diverse communities of plants and animals remain today. The Dryland Forest Symposium provides a forum to discuss recent developments in dryland forest conservation and restoration, and an opportunity to interact with others interested in dryland forest ecology.