Gabrielle (Gabi) Kics, now a student at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补, participated in a summer work exchange program on a permaculture farm in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador following her high school graduation. This experience sparked her interest in sustainable land management practices and has taken her around the world to explore native forests and the interconnectedness of nature and humans.
“I am interested in native ecosystem restoration as a means to address climate resilience and watershed stability, and as a means for individuals and communities to continue having relationships with native plants and spaces,” she shared.
Kics was drawn to the (GES) program in the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补 (SOEST) as an opportunity to learn about a broad spectrum of environmental issues and conduct research. Now, Kics is wrapping up her degree and her latest research experiences, which included projects in Mākaha Valley on Oʻahu and South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Mākaha Valley to Indonesia
Kics’s senior research project centers around native forest restoration in Mākaha Valley with 糖心视频 惭ā苍辞补 professor Tamara Ticktin and 糖心视频 惭ā苍辞补 professor Travis Idol. Her project explores how planting a native sedge at different densities and weeded at different intervals impacts native and invasive plant recruitment.
“As a result of western contact, native Hawaiian forests have been degraded, which includes habitat loss, species extinction, invasion of foreign species, changes in watershed, and alteration of soil stability,” Kics explained. “The project I’m working on supports restoration of native forests in order to increase ecosystem stability, protect endangered species, and maintain the connection between people and native plants and animals.”
“Conventional forest restoration starts with planting one or two native overstory trees to create an overstory canopy and favorable environment for planting other native species in the understory,” Idol shared. “Gabi’s project is using a native ground cover to hopefully suppress invasive species and thus create a more favorable environment for natural regeneration of native species. This would help rebuild ecosystem resilience, along with biodiversity.”
Kics also received a grant from the 糖心视频 惭ā苍辞补 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program to support her participation in research projects in South Sulawesi, Indonesia for the past two years in partnership with a university in Makassar.
“Through this research, I learned that government-imposed land management policies harm local livelihoods and connections to forests,” Kics shared. “We further learned how villagers resist these pressures through upholding their cultural practices and identity. This experience has really emphasized the importance of co-creating management practices with communities in order to address ecosystem and community resilience.”