Terraformation team members at Pacific Flight at Kaupalaoa
“Hawaiʻi leads the global conversation in climate change, showing us that even the most remote destinations can spark the brightest solutions for a sustainable future.”
— Yishan Wong, Founder & CEO
Contact Us
He aliʻi ka āina; he kauwā ke kanaka

The Land Is Chief; Man Is Its Servant

Wiliwili plant‘Ōhi‘a Lehua MamoSmiling woman looks at a seedling that she holds in her soil covered handButterfly perched on Alaheʻe tree
Our Story

Terraformation Hawaiʻi

Terraformation was founded on Hawaiʻi Island, home to two-thirds of terrestrial and marine biomes found on Earth. We have a kuleana (responsibility) to this archipelago that most immediately is impacted by the effects of Climate Change.

Rising sea levels and coastal runoff pollution are damaging coral reef ecosystems and adversely affecting communities across island nations throughout the Pacific and beyond. Because of this, Hawaiʻi is now a global leader in solving climate change through significant work and studies conducted by scientists, communities, and agencies statewide.

Terraformation Hawaiʻi aims to restore the islands’ forests to capture carbon and revitalize nature.  through native ecosystem restoration projects, seed banking , agroforestry operations, accessible technology, community engagement, and capacity building.

Why Hawaiʻi

Our Kuleana

At Terraformation Hawaiʻi, we acknowledge that our kuleana as stewards of this ‘āina (land) is  to create lasting solutions that accelerate biodiverse native ecosystem restoration. We understand that by being here, we are entrusted to fulfill our responsibility and privilege to care for this special place.

By prioritizing the restoration of native ecosystems, we can preserve biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services, and create a sustainable future for our communities and the environment.

Mauka to Makai Approach

Mountain to Ocean

Native Hawaiians understood the sustainability of an ahupua‘a (land management and food production system), where everything is inextricably linked from mauka to makai (mountain to the sea). Through our work at Terraformation, we aim to restore native species, reforest uplands decimated by grazing, and honor the holistic and historic ahupua'a system as it once was.

For Generations to Come

We are Ancestors

The choices that we make as a generation today directly impact our world as we know it. Our hope is that by collaborating with community partners and local leaders, we can create sustainable, biodiverse ecosystems through our projects and initiatives. Collectively we will mitigate Climate Change impacts for the care and preservation of our planet.

Trusted Globally

As featured in

Native Restoration

Native Seed Banking

It all starts with a seed. Adequate seed supply is one of the biggest bottlenecks to native forest restoration. Active seed collecting and banking is a part of our daily operations. It is the first step to a successful restoration project and the preservation of Hawaiʻi's unique plant diversity in the face of climate change.

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Koa and māmane seeds at Terraformation Hawai‘i’s native seed bank

Native Restoration

Hāhai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau. #405: Rain always follows the forest. From seed to forest, our native restoration projects include:

• Planning and implementing native ecosystem restoration from seed to canopy
• Assessing local soil conditions, invasive species, and other site-specific ecological factors
• Consulting
• Researching, testing, and developing solutions to effectively scale restoration
• Monitoring restoration sites for long-term growth and resilience

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Terraformation Hawai‘i team member inspects Koa tree leaves at ‘Ōhi‘a Lani at Waikoekoe native restoration site
REFOREST HAWAIʻI

Current Projects

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Location
Hawaiʻi Project Map
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Click on a location pin to learn more about our latest projects.

Terraformation Technology

Terraware is a free and open source software, compatible for Android/iOS

Terraware

Terraware is a globally recognized, true seed-to-carbon software suite, including a user-friendly web app that allows users to manage a project’s inventory and a companion Android/iOS mobile app for field data collection and monitoring. This free and open source software replaces outdated spreadsheets and paper records, and supports forest creators in developing a knowledge base of their work so it can be passed on to future generations. The platform helps map seed sources, track seeds and seedlings, and allocate plantings. This  enables foresters to run their projects more efficiently and learn from every step. Soon, the app will also support plant monitoring and progress reporting, which are both essential parts of transparent, trusted forestry projects.

Free and open source Terraware software

Terraware Modules and Capabilities

Manage and organize your seed supply: Keep track of every seed in your collection with detailed information about where it was collected. Use workflow reminders to optimize your seed bank staff, and track your seeds through every step—from processing to drying and storage. View and export inventory data to show what your team has accomplished.

Manage your nursery inventory: Get an overview of what’s growing in your nurseries and track seedling progress by species—with detailed data for each stage of readiness. Detailed insight into nursery activities helps you manage operations, avoid shortages and streamline the overall planting process. It also enables loss tracking and analysis, which helps you maximize nursery performance.

Track your out plantings: When seedlings leave the nursery, a detailed record of planting locations is made and validated with photos and monitoring data. Terraware enables the efficient creation of a planting baseline for each site, helping streamline monitoring and verification at later stages of growth.

Hōʻawa fruits and seeds at the Ridge to Reef Restoration Center’s seed bank

Our Seed Bank at 3RC

This 40 ft. container is a native seed storage facility located at the Ridge to Reef Restoration Center (3RC) and home to a repository of 3.5+ million seeds. Native seeds are a vital component of large-scale restoration projects across Hawaiʻi. Our team hand-collects millions of seeds each year with the intention to preserve Hawaiʻi's native biodiversity and supply our on-site nursery with native seeds for propagation. Our seed bank can  store up to ten million seeds, enough to restore thousands of acres of land every year.

Solar desalination facility at Terraformation Hawaiʻi

Solar Desalination

Wai (water) in Hawaiʻi is a sacred and revered resource in our island home. Our solar desalination facility allows us a viable and sustainable resource for Pacific Flight. Located on the leeward side of Kohala Mountain in the ahupua‘a of Kaupalaoa, Pacific Flight experiences the least amount of rainfall of all our projects, making it a challenging place for restoration. Having been used for cattle grazing for over 100 years, this area is highly degraded having only a sparse population of native plants such as ʻIlima and Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka. Reviving the native dry forest that once stood in this area requires supplemental irrigation, which is supplied by our solar powered desalination system. Drought resistant species of native trees like Koaiʻa and Wiliwili are also planted here with the hopes that someday their canopies will protect the soil from the harsh sun and wind and allow for a native understory to one day flourish.

Ridge-to-Reef Restoration Center (3RC) Nursery

Nurseries

Our nurseries propagate a variety of species for biodiverse native forest restoration projects. We work across many ecosystem types and locations requiring that we produce a diverse number of trees and understory plants to suit our site's needs. All nursery processes are tracked through Terraware for nursery management.

Ridge-to-Reef Program

Ridge-to-Reef anuenue (rainbow)

Holistic Ecosystem Restoration Approach

Hawaiʻi is the extinction capital of the world, with so many diverse ecosystems and species found nowhere else on the planet. In partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), Terraformation takes a ridge-to-reef approach and restores degraded land to its former native forest ecosystems.

Mirroring the state of the land, coral reefs around the world are suffering due to global warming and sediment runoff. ASU is currently building the world’s largest coral nursery to prolong the health of coral reefs. Together in this pivotal partnership, we play a critical part in combating climate change and successfully restoring coral reefs along our shores. 

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Ākoʻakoʻa

The name Ākoʻakoʻa emphasizes the dual meaning of “to assemble” and “coral.” Terraformation works in partnership with ASU to combine land remediation, coral propagation, and community stewardship to turn the tide in favor of coral reefs for a new future. Ākoʻakoʻa is a shared stage to foster a deeper connection between coastal and coral communities in an era of climate change.

Dr. Greg Asner

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Elaboration on sustainability goals + metrics

Impact metrics, number of native seeds banked, acres under stewardship between both TF and ASU

Your Customized Portfolio
BIodiversity hotspots
35
%
Mangroves
25
%
Amazon basin
40
%

Your Own Expert Team

We function as an extension of your team to identify, design, and grow reforestation projects that deliver a portfolio of high-quality carbon credits.

01

Global Sourcing

Our partnerships team connects with forestry organizations around the world to build a pipeline of future reforestation projects across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. 

Your Customized Portfolio
20
%
West Africa
45
%
Southeast Asia
35
%
Latin America

02

Customization

Collaborate with our forestry and science teams to design portfolios that meet your ESG goals, with projects spanning from tropical reforestation to blue carbon to biodiversity restoration in rare niches.

Your Customized Portfolio
BIodiversity hotspots
35
%
Mangroves
25
%
Amazon basin
40
%

03

Quality

Build a portfolio that matches your company’s values, choosing projects that emphasize the community and environmental benefits most important to you — from women-led projects to those with agroforestry and additional local sustainable revenue streams. 

Your Customized Portfolio
No Poverty
1
Gender Equality
5
Decent Work
8
Climate Action
13
Life on Land
15
Learn about the Seed to Carbon Forest Accelerator 
See How We Source

Agroforestry

Terraformation Hawai‘i team harvesting longans

Local Specialization

Our Agroforestry team has over 40 years of collective agricultural experience.

  • We offer agroforestry and orchard business planning, design, installation and management
  • We specialize in tropical fruit orchards such as lychee, mangosteen, longan and macadamia nuts
  • Our services include brush management, fire breaks and silvopastures
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How We Do It

Customize Your Forest Carbon Portfolio

We Grow Biodiverse Carbon Credits from Seed to Canopy
Create a Portfolio

Let’s grow a forest

We help forestry teams and local communities launch native, biodiverse forest restoration projects and access carbon markets. Learn more about creating a biodiverse forest carbon portfolio that generates premium carbon credits, or apply to join the Seed to Carbon Forest Accelerator.