Hawaiian Islands Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1980, in United States of America. Hawaiian Islands Biosphere Reserve lies within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and encompasses active volcanic landscapes centred on Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. Mauna Loa is a huge shield volcano that rises from roughly six kilometres below sea level, to 4,169 metres above. Kīlauea is among the world’s most active volcanoes, renowned for its historic lava lakes at Halemaʻumaʻu. The diversity of successional habitats across recent lava flows, together with elevational and rainfall gradients, supports high ecological and genetic diversity at landscape scale. The reserve’s objectives are to conserve unique volcanic ecosystems, support appropriate nature-based use, and enable research and education.