Scott Fisher grew up in Kula, Maui and at age 17 enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the infantry during the first Gulf War. After his discharge, he studied in Colorado, Indiana, Australia, and England. Scott’s first Ph.D. explored the dynamics of post-conflict recovery related to natural resource degradation among Pacific Island communities on the island Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Scott also holds graduate certificates in Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Agriculture. From 2017-2020 Scott was a visiting fellow at the University of Leicester conducting research into the relationship between ecological restoration, ecosystem resilience and paleoecology. Scott is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Earth and Ocean Science at the University of Southampton (UK) where he is studying how to optimize nature-based solutions to high energy marine inundation events.
Since 2003, Scott has worked for the Hawai’i Land Trust (HILT). He currently serves as Director of ʻĀina (Land) Stewardship for the land trust on Maui, O`ahu, Kaua`i and Hawa`i Island, on HILT’s 19,500 acres of protected land. In this capacity he leads all aspects of the ecological restoration and land protection work conducted by the land trust. In addition to his work with the land trust, since 2019 Scott has worked as a consultant with the Mikajy (Restoration) project in Menabe Province, Madagascar, where he is assisting with the ecological restoration of coastal dunes and mangrove wetlands along Madagascar’s west coast. At the University of Hawai`i, Maui College, Scott teaches a course in the Sustainable Science Management program which explores traditional Hawaiian practices and strategies which helped to build a sustainable society. Scott serves on the Mālama Haleakalā Foundation, the Pacific Birds Hawaiʻi Wetlands Conservation Priority Committee and as chair of the Maui/Lana‘i Island Burial Council. On the weekend Scott enjoys working at his 4-acre ʻulu (breadfruit) farm on Maui.
