We visited Maui last year, and I was kind of shocked how desertified it is. When HC&S (I think) pulled out in 2016, they left behind untended sugarcane plantations and a row of huge trees to die by the highway, I think they are Moneypods:
The tragedy of it is that I saw that exploitation everywhere we went. Outside of Nicaragua and Guatemala, I don't think I've ever been somewhere where the locals were as suspicious of tourists. The pandemic gutted their economy so the feeling of hopelessness hung around even relatively remote places we visited along the Road to Hana.
I just want to add that the Hawaiian islands have (I think) all climates represented and are dryer than expected, especially the lower islands which don't have trees on the mountains to catch rainwater. Which may even add a familiar appeal for mainlanders traveling there. But it was apparent that large swaths of native vegetation were cleared for colonization. I just don't see how fire management would work when an entire community has had its resources stolen for a century or more.
https://www.photoresourcehawaii.com/image/I0000Bzi9pq4Ok6E
The tragedy of it is that I saw that exploitation everywhere we went. Outside of Nicaragua and Guatemala, I don't think I've ever been somewhere where the locals were as suspicious of tourists. The pandemic gutted their economy so the feeling of hopelessness hung around even relatively remote places we visited along the Road to Hana.
I just want to add that the Hawaiian islands have (I think) all climates represented and are dryer than expected, especially the lower islands which don't have trees on the mountains to catch rainwater. Which may even add a familiar appeal for mainlanders traveling there. But it was apparent that large swaths of native vegetation were cleared for colonization. I just don't see how fire management would work when an entire community has had its resources stolen for a century or more.