Nearly 200 acres of pristine watershed will be preserved with the purchase of Kawaikapu Ranch lands in southeast Moloka'i by the Moloka'i Land Trust.

The sale involves 196.4 acres of environmentally and culturally significant land stretching from sea level up a steep and rugged mountain to the 1,600-foot level, according to a Moloka'i Land Trust release.

The trust will own the land, and it will grant a perpetual conservation easement to Maui County to protect it permanently as a habitat for native plants and animals and a location for subsistence gathering, archaeological preservation and education.

The trust obtained $767,976 from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and $480,000 from the county open space preservation fund to complete the purchase from Tracy and Greg Gordon.

Land trust executive director Butch Haase said the agreement would protect "pristine watershed, riparian habitat for the recovery of native birds and vegetation, and important cultural and archaeological sites contained within the valley."

Greg Gordon said his family approached the trust about buying the property because it had become overwhelming to attempt to control invasive species, erosion and animal damage.

"This land needed a better future, and Moloka'i Land Trust offered a permanent solution by putting the land into conservation versus sold and developed," Gordon said.

Trust President Colette Machado said the acquisition would offer opportunities for planning and preservation.