Assessing the Feasibility and Implications of Managed Retreat Strategies

for Vulnerable Coastal Areas

Assessing the Feasibility and Implications of Managed Retreat Strategies for Vulnerable Coastal Areas in Hawaii is a comprehensive study to synthesize learning from previous and ongoing climate adaptation efforts in order to better understand the factors which influence the success of managed retreat, and the feasibility of its implementation in Hawaii. This study was prompted by recent climate change legislation, as well as plans and studies that included the Ocean Resources Management Plan (2013) and the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (2017).

Developing the study involved four components:
1. Background research consisting of a literature review and stakeholder consultations.
2. Four case studies, involving preparation of scenarios, site visits, and focus group discussions to explore retreat of different development types.
3. Symposium on managed retreat, with keynote speakers from New Jersey and California and participants from across the state.
4. Final Report which summarized the results of research and prior tasks.

• State of Hawaii Office of Planning – Assessment of Feasibility of Managed Retreat in Hawaii