Understanding indigenous Hawaiian concepts relevant to nature and conservation requires not only fluency in language, but cultural fluency to appreciate the way relationships with the natural world are expressed traditionally. We offer three methodological pathways to search for and interpret these concepts in Hawaiian language sources, exploring the connections between the natural world and (1) religion and cosmogeny, (2) ethnobiology, and (3) social relationships and traditions, shorthanded as KUA, LAKO and MO‘O. Exploring these relationships could apply to any culture that has established long-standing intimate relationships with their natural setting.

This paper outlines how the kuahu (altar of Native Hawaiian spiritual practice) has advanced learners in Hālau ‘Ōhi‘a (a ritual-based stewardship program in Hawai‘i) to embrace the many sacred dimensions of natural and cultural resource stewardship. We examine themes evoked during the kuahu process at scales spanning the universal, the regional, and the personal. Kuahu practice can serve as a coparticipant, catalyst and portal to sacred conservation, allowing learners to engage and grow more personal relationships with the environment, communities and self.

This paper analyses collaborative management case studies from Hawai‘i to then describe how shared governance between ‘Indigenous peoples and local communities’ (IPLCs) and govenrment institutions and reliance on various forms of Indigenous agency can lead to effective conservation and the achievement of sustainability goals. Broadening understanding of Indigenous agency can transform conservation biology being practiced where IPLCs are present, which in combination with shared governance can help to achieve environmental and social justice, while building IPLC autonomy and self-governance.

This article draws on the transformative work of Tongan anthropologist Epeli Hau‘ofa to articulate characteristics of an Oceanian Sovereignty that illuminate ongoing conceptual shifts around conservation and deeply rooted and emerging Indigenous and local perceptions and conceptions of rights over, responsibilities towards, and respect for, nature as a critical context for necessary transformations within conservation biology.

A non-Indigenous conservationist who is for a Place advocates for inclusive stewardship with Indigenous Peoples and other marginalised communities to conserve species, ecosystems and connections. Here, we share our experiences and actions we learned to begin implementing more just and inclusive practices for the Places we aspire to conserve.

Global concerns for food security have recently led to interest in indigenous knowledge systems. Hawaiian fishponds (loko i‘a) provide a model of sustainable aquatic resource management based on long-term experience from Native Hawaiian harvest practices. An introduced fishery species found in the loko i‘a is shown to be manageable with adaptive Indigenous practices.

Indigenous peoples’ relationships with biodiversity extend to introduced species rarely protected under legislation. We live-trapped Pacific rats (kiore) to investigate body condition and reproductive status on an island set aside to protect this population for perpetuity and assess what future information and management approaches are required to support such biocultural relationships.

Our study analysed the co-evolving relationships between Hawaiians and pigs in Hawai‘i over the past 250 years using archival resources and Indigenous perspectives. Understanding the dynamics of biocultural relationships can be used to develop socially-informed policies for both wildlife management and conservation biology.

In the context of a resurgent Indigenous resource management practice called rāhui on Tahiti’s Taiarapu coast, this study analyses the local conceptions, perceptions, and expectations (CPE) which mediate between the community-led resource management and inputs and insights from conservation and sustainability sciences. Meaningful differences between similarly-situated local communities indicate that local communities’ CPE around conservation and sustainability sciences should be carefully considered before and alongside any conservation or management action.

The loss of Māori dialects has allowed the loss of mātauranga, leading to the loss of dialectal terms for local flora and fauna. This collaborative research addressed the concerns articulated by a Māori biocultural heritage expert about the loss of their own unique local Māori terms for flora and fauna.

Transforming conservation biology through a Te Ao Māori lens is critical in building cultural resilience, for intergenerational knowledge transfer and equipping kaimahi (workers for the environment) in Māori communities of New Zealand. Through technological gaming we examine innovative solutions to empower youth in transforming conservation biology.