It started several years ago with a handful of Hawai'i Kai residents meeting over coffee and lamenting the deteriorating condition of Maunalua Bay.

One conversation led to another, and eventually the residents decided to form a nonprofit group to spearhead efforts to restore the health of the East Honolulu bay. They encouraged others to help.

"We became activists," said Laura Thompson, one of the co-founders of Malama Maunalua.

Since then, neighbors, scientists, government officials, environmentalists and others have pitched in, bringing their expertise and muscle to fight the multiple factors slowly degrading Maunalua's reef and nearshore ecosystem.

Because of the complexity of the problem, which stems from excessive sedimentation, invasive species, overfishing and other threats, everyone agrees that reversing the years of decline will be a tall order.

If Malama Maunalua succeeds, however, the project is expected to serve as a general framework for other Hawai'i communities trying to stem the deterioration of their coastal marine environments.

"This is just a microcosm of what needs to happen statewide," said Alyssa Miller, coordinator for Malama Maunalua.

As government funding to deal with marine resources has shrunk, communities around the state increasingly have realized that tapping the collective strength of their neighbors — politically and in other ways — is critical if they hope to succeed in combating the degradation of Hawai'i reefs and fisheries.

In a marriage of grassroots power, science and conservation management, neighborhood volunteers have teamed with scientists, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to leverage resources, gather empirical data and develop possible solutions that must be maneuvered through a potentially divisive political process.

"The key is the people who are involved," Thompson said. "They're the ones who can help get things done."

Lots of people are involved in the Maunalua effort.

Roughly 5,000 have participated in the dozens of algae removals, beach clean-ups, education forums and other events Malama Maunalua has hosted over the past several years, and the group has partnered with nearly 50 government agencies, environmental organizations, businesses and other entities to address a problem that experts acknowledge has no easy solutions.

At last count, about 200 volunteers had removed nearly 25 tons of invasive algae, or seaweed, from the bay over the past 18 months. The seaweed is so abundant it has smothered corals and altered the balance of the reef flat.

STIMULUS TAPPED

The grassroots group in coming weeks is taking the algae battle to a new level. Malama Maunalua and The Nature Conservancy, another nonprofit organization, recently secured more than $3 million in federal economic stimulus funding to hire dozens of full-time workers to pull invasive algae from the bay.

As that fight persists, volunteers are pushing for changes to the mostly concrete-lined stream system that channels huge volumes of rain runoff and sedimentation from the mountains and valleys into the bay, further degrading conditions along the reef flat.

What makes the Maunalua initiative different from other community-driven marine conservation efforts around the state is its breadth and scope. The other initiatives mostly focus on Hawai'i's rural or less populated areas and typically are driven by concerns about fisheries.

Malama Maunalua is focusing on a large suburban area that is home to more than 60,000 people, and it is attempting to tackle the web of factors affecting the bay.

But just like at Maunalua, the rural initiatives usually rely on volunteers to carry some of the load.

Residents on the North Shore, for instance, volunteer time to help a limited state enforcement staff monitor compliance with rules at the Pupukea marine life conservation district — fishing is restricted in Waimea Bay and the taking of marine life is prohibited elsewhere in the conservation area.

Pupukea volunteers also help compile fish-count data, collect trash from beaches and spread the word about the benefits of a protected ecosystem.

Since the district boundaries were expanded in 2002, fish biodiversity has increased substantially and the population of species specifically protected has risen as well, according to a study by University of Hawai'i fisheries expert Alan Friedlander.

"The bottom line is it's working," said Bob Leinau, president of Hui Malama o Pupukea-Waimea, a nonprofit group that supports conservation in the area.

Whether aimed at rural or suburban areas, the community-based efforts share many similarities.

Residents try to seek wide community support for the initiatives, and affected groups are encouraged to join the process to help craft proposed solutions.

If the marine environment benefits, proponents say, residents and ocean users ultimately benefit from nicer beaches, higher property values, increased recreational opportunities, more abundant marine life and in other ways. What's more, proponents add, supportive residents likely will pay greater attention to protecting the environment and encourage others to do likewise.

"If you get community buy-in, you have a chance," said Leinau, the Hui Malama president.

The chances of success also are enhanced with a solid scientific foundation.

If community members have the hard data, they can be empowered to make more effective arguments about the need for regulatory solutions, scientists say.

"In order to make good decisions, you need good information," said Bob Richmond, a University of Hawai'i marine biologist who is helping with the Maunalua project.

KEEPING SCORE

At Maunalua, Richmond and other scientists are establishing benchmarks so they can measure whether the restoration efforts work — and to what degree. The biological markers being developed are intended to measure changes in months, not years, so the community can quickly learn what works and what doesn't. That's a strategy that can be used elsewhere.

In a time of dwindling resources, "you really want to focus on things that have the biggest bang for the buck," Richmond said.

The solutions also should be based on specific characteristics of a place, advocates say. While lessons learned from Maunalua, Pupukea and elsewhere can help guide strategy, the approach needs to reflect the people, values and resources of the place, according to Debbie Gowensmith, director of Hawai'i Community Stewardship Network.

Gowensmith's organization is working with more than 20 communities statewide that have sought help in developing plans to restore and protect their coastal environments.

The strategy "has to fit the community," she said. "For me, that's the key to success."

Gowensmith compares the approaches taken at Pupukea, a community with lots of retirees, and at Kaua'i's Ha'ena, a poor community steeped in Native Hawaiian traditions.

Pupukea's plan focuses largely on prohibiting the taking of marine life and relies on volunteers to help with monitoring. Ha'ena's proposed plan stresses subsistence fishing, reflecting the area's long history of being a vital seafood resource for Native Hawaiians. Many households, Gowensmith said, still rely on the ocean for food.

Ha'ena is one of only two communities statewide — the other is Miloli'i on the Big Island — that have been designated community-based subsistence fishing areas. The law granting Ha'ena that protective status was passed by the Legislature in 2006 and called for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in consultation with the community, to develop rules regulating ocean use.

But reflecting the difficulty of the task, the proposed rules still are under review. Gowensmith, whose group held community forums to gather comments, said the plan took three years to develop, and 50 initial proposed rules have since been narrowed to 11.

"People are having their say," Gowensmith said. "But there's definitely frustration on how long it takes."

One of the biggest hurdles in getting consensus on any kind of marine protection plan is overcoming a history of mistrust among Hawai'i ocean users, according to proponents of community-based approaches. People who fish, for instance, often say proposed solutions tend to place a disproportionate burden on their activities.

The way around that, advocates say, is to involve all affected groups in the process.

"If this work isn't done hand in hand with fishermen, it's not going to happen," said Mitch D'Olier, president and chief executive of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, the largest underwriter of community-based marine conservation in Hawai'i.