KAILUA, KONA, Hawai'i — Hawai'i can and should take the lead in preserving the world's oceans, members of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force say.

The task force, meeting this week on the Big Island, seeks to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems through partnerships, strategies and support for on-the-ground conservation actions. It includes leaders of 12 federal agencies, seven states and U.S. territories and commonwealths, as well as three freely associated states.

"Hawai'i carries such symbolic and emotional value," said James Connaughton, White House council for environmental quality. "It is a paradise, and paradise implies sustainability."

Government agencies, community groups and even schools have responded to four decades of rapid development with policies, programs and projects to conserve and protect that paradise.

"Hawai'i is a relatively small community," Connaughton said. "You can try things here on a smaller scale that can then apply on a broader scale. You can see the results here right away."

From grass-roots efforts to ban smoking on beaches to community cleanups and state fishing restrictions, Hawai'i has experienced an attitude shift back toward the traditional respect and care of the oceans.

"Marine conservation has been the orphan," he said, often overshadowed on the national stage by land pollution, air pollution and climate change concerns. "We've really awoken to marine conservation and do lead the world. We have a long way to go, but we're on the right road."

Connaughton said Hawai'i, the West Coast, Pacific territories, Florida and New England are vital areas of interest if the U.S. is to inspire ocean conservation on a global level.

Lyle Laverty, Department of Interior assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, said the importance of global ocean health must be passed on to the next generation.

"The challenge is how to get young people involved and interested," he said. "They spend so much time in front of screens that they live in a virtual world and don't really develop an appreciation for our natural resources."

The task force helps provide a cooperative effort to reach out to youth and connect them with the real world and its challenges.

"The focus this week is on coral ecosystems and how we collectively deal with the threats facing them," Laverty said. "But there are also opportunities to connect agencies and develop some synergy, find out how to make it cool to get back outdoors."