Born and raised in Nuuanu, Sam ‘Ohu Gon III still lives on a verdant edge of the valley in which Honolulu’s downtown is nestled.

A senior scientist and cultural adviser for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, Gon is also a practitioner of hula, Hawaiian chant and protocol. His blend of expertise in Polynesia-rooted tradition and western academia served as a perfect fit at this week’s Hokule‘a homecoming event — Malama Honua (“Care for the Earth”) Fair & Summit at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where he blessed and opened the exhibition floor, and helped staff a voyaging canoe information booth.

In September, Gon took part in another green-focused event in the same venue — the World Conservation Congress, heading its commission on environmental, economic and social policy. He’s now tasked with helping to move along resolutions, from concept to actual changes in IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) policy and practice.

“One I am most proud of and that I look forward to continuing work on is Resolution 83, which is a global affirmation of the role of indigenous cultures in global conservation efforts,” Gon said.

That resolution is largely based on a position paper drafted seven years ago by the Hawaii Conservation Alliance — a statewide collaborative of government, cultural, education and nonprofit leaders. It asserts that “integration of Native Hawaiian approaches and knowledge systems with conventional conservation efforts” is crucial to building and maintaining sustainable communities in our islands.

Gon serves as chair emeritus of the Hawaii Conservation Alliance, and was the standing chair of the body of 25 federal, state and private organizations that together hosted the Conservation Congress here for the first time. What does he enjoy most about such work?

“That kind of great positive emergent action that comes from a position of confidence on the part of my many colleagues in my actions and my words — the fact that they can count on me to provide both scientific rigor and cultural insight on our issues — I find that most gratifying.”

Question: Earlier this year, you joined Hokule‘a crews during parts of the canoe’s worldwide odyssey, including sails in the Galapagos Islands, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and elsewhere?

Answer: I was asked to join those legs to enrich the learning journeys as we arrived in those two islands. Each port of call was accompanied by a “learning journey” on land, to explore the conservation issues and search for lessons that can help us approach our own issues in Hawaii better. The Galapagos, as another archipelago of immense evolutionary significance, allowed us to explore the intricacies of island evolution, and compare and contrast their conservation issues with our own.

Q: Hokule‘a is navigated in the tradition of Polynesian seafaring — without a compass or any other modern equipment. The replica wa‘a (double-hulled canoe) is propelled by paddles and wind-filled sails. Seasickness is an issue for you. How did you manage as a crew member?

A: When I am on Hokule‘a or Hikianalia (Hokule‘a’s escort), or any other Pacific voyaging canoe, for that matter, the duties and exhilaration of sailing greatly remove the tendency for motion sickness. It also helps that the legs I participated in — Aotearoa (New Zealand) and, more recently, in the Galapagos and Rapa Nui, were focused on the terrestrial elements, with the longest sailing along the coast or up estuaries — not the “Deep Blue” sailing of my more seaworthy voyaging crewmates.

Q: What are your thoughts tied to last Saturday’s return of the sister canoes to Oahu, marking the end of the three-year international portion of the voyage?

A: In my view, what lies ahead for us is the realization that Hawaii does indeed stand out as one of the focal places on Earth where we can learn to live with intelligence and kindness toward one another and to the lands and waters that sustain us. The sailing may be over, (but) the work is ongoing and the next phase will require a reaffirmation of our commitment to Malama Honua, and to lead by example.

Q: You have held various posts at The Nature Conservancy since 1986. What does your work at the nonprofit consist of these days?

A: As senior scientist I get to bring to bear the experience I have had, not only in understanding our native ecosystems across the Hawaiian chain via direct experience, but through my … training in Hawaiian chant and protocol, to help integrate the best Hawaiian values that teach about our relationships with our home lands and waters, the intimate and relevance that traditional Hawaiian knowledge (called ‘Ike Hawai‘i) can and should play in living on islands.

It is through knowledge and values that we as an island people will be able to forge a better balance between our remarkable archipelago and growing population and external global pressures such as climate change and invasive species. So my work means a great deal of interaction with a wide varieties of colleagues and stakeholders in Hawaii.

Q: Which Nature Conservancy project or initiative are you most proud of?

A: I took part in the survey of all of the natural area reserves of the state … at a time when they were “paper parks” boundaries — drawn, but had no actual details about resources, significance or threats. Similarly, I helped establish and conduct baseline surveys of many Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i preserves.

Also, I have worked on management plans for our watershed partnerships, which together protect hundreds of thousands of acres of vital conservation lands on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Hawaii (island). I was in charge of the biological survey of the island of Kaho‘olawe, and helped to integrate that cultural and natural resource management plan for the restoration of that island.

The reason I have worked at The Nature Conservancy of over 30 years is that it was clear from the start that my efforts were going to lead to direct improvements in the viability and protection of the native ecosystems and species of Hawaii, my beloved home. When that is the situation, work really does not exist apart from life.

Q: Your current term as an at-large member of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources expires next week?

A: After serving for nine years on the BLNR (2006-2014), I was told on my exit that I “only had to rest a year” before being eligible to serve again. … I asked them to let me rest at least two years before considering returning. But in 2016 an opening was created, and the governor invited me to serve again, completing the term of the vacating member (now ending), and submitting my name to the state Senate to serve from 2017 to 2021.

I received Senate confirmation and look forward to the service. It provides me so much insight on the actual mechanisms and laws related to conservation in Hawaii, and allows me to authorize many positive things.

Q: Among the issues that have gone before the board during your tenure, which rank as most important?

A: I rank rule changes, that is, changes in state conservation law as among the most important because they represent long-standing consequences and an opportunity to strengthen the protections of lands, waters and our unique Hawaiian biota; ways to increase efficiency of our current processes, such as permitting of key conservation activities; and ways to increase the input and participation of local and Hawaiian communities in the care of our islands.

Such changes have authorized the co-management of Papahanaumokuakea Monument, supported the formation of the Hawai‘i Association of Watershed Partnerships and initiated community co-management of resources at Haena and Kaupulehu.

Q: Since your teen days, you have been exploring Hawaii’s various hiking trails. Do you have a favorite?

A: It depends on the mood: Do I want a coastal experience? … A native forested ridge? Subalpine desert (slopes just below timberline)? That, by the way, is one of my favorite ecosystems. … For each island you could list favorites-du-jour. … Being an Oahu person, I do have a couple of favorite hikes on this island. For the coast, a jaunt out to Kaena Point. For an upland ridge and summit in the Waianae range, the trail from Palehua to Palikea in the southern Waianae range. And for the Koolau, Poamoho trail, which takes you to the center of the range and wet forest overlooking the windward valleys.