IODP Expedition 389: Hawai’ian Drowned Reefs set sail from Kapolei on 31 August 2023 on board the MMA Valour. The expedition was planned, implemented, and managed by the ECORD Science Operator (ESO). An international scientific team was invited to join the expedition, with each member contributing their expertise to invaluable research on global sea level and climate change over the last 500 000 years. During 63 days offshore a total of 426 meters of cores were recovered. They were drilled in 15 locations in federal waters, and they are now being analyzed.

During expedition planning since 2018, ESO liaised, both remotely and in person, with local academic partners, State of Hawai’i government departments, various educational centers and organisations to understand state permitting requirements and to identify community groups and individuals for engagement.

ESO submitted applications to core at up to 20 sites across Federal and State waters in April 2023. Clearance was confirmed by the US Department of State in August 2023 for 15 sites located in Federal waters. While the expedition was at sea, notice was received on 13 October 2023 that the application to access up to 5 sites in Hawai’ian State waters was rejected by the Board of Land and Natural Resources, on the grounds of insufficient community engagement. The expedition has therefore exclusively conducted its research in Federal waters.

ESO acknowledges and accepts that more could have been done to reach out to local communities in advance of the expedition. We regret that we did not engage and inform local communities of our plans and purpose in a timeframe where meaningful dialogue could take place.

ESO pledges to listen to, collaborate, and share knowledge with local communities in the analytical phase of the expedition. Analysis of the cores is expected to reveal exciting new details about the geological history of coral reef development around Hawai’i, as well as uncovering previously unknown records to decipher current and future global sea level rise and climate change in fine detail. These findings are very important for coastal population centers and fragile wildlife habitats.

IODP Expeditions conducted by ESO are open and transparent, with regular updates posted on the expedition websites. ESO welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with local communities and answer any questions about this expedition, and encourages anyone with interest to contact the ESO Expedition Project Manager (esoepm@bgs.ac.uk).

For future expeditions in other regions of the world, ESO and its partners will implement new processes to involve local communities at the initial project design stage, and will take forward lessons learned from this current expedition.