Status and Problems of Conservation in Hawaii

1
Status and Problems of Conservation in Hawaii

• Zeenath Sheikh
• Environmental and Plant Biology Department

2
Questions

• What is conservation and factors affecting it ?

• What is biological diversity and factors
  affecting and
• controlling it?

• What is biological diversity of Hawaii ?

• Factors threatening biological diversity in
  Hawaii ?

• Role of Natural conservancy in conservation of
  Hawaii ?

• Techniques followed by Nature conservancy to
  achieve conservation
• in Hawaii?

• What are the Problems arising in conservation in
  Hawaii?

3
Questions contd

• Nature conservancy preserves in Hawaii?

• Endangered species in Hawaii?

• What is the planning and protection methods
  followed in
• Hawaii to implement conservation ?

• Future plans of Nature conservancy for Hawaii?

• What is the conservation education undertaken in
  
• Hawaii ?

• Organizations helping in conservation in Hawaii?

4
Conservation

• Maintaining biological diversity by applying the
  principles of ecology, biogeography, population
  genetics, economics,sociology, anthropology,
  philosophy, and other theoretically based
  disciplines. (Meffe et al., 1997)

5
Biological Diversity

• Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the
  term given to the variety of life on Earth and
  the natural patterns it forms (Muller 2003)

• A simple measure of biological diversity is
  the number of
• species in a given area (Stone and Stone
  1989).

6
Biological Diversity contd..

• Species checklist is the most common form of
  data for this
• kind of measurement (Stone and Stone 1989).

• The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of
  billions
• of years of evolution, shaped by natural
  processes and,
• increasingly, by the influence of humans
  (Muller 2003)

7
Factors Affecting Biological Diversity
1. Limiting Factors

• Water

• Nutrients

• Space

2. Physical Complexity

• Land type(dry/wet, Island/ peninsula)

• Land elevation (high /low)

• Periodic disturbances

3. Biological Interactions

• Parasitism

- Commensalism

• Mutualism

(Stone and Stone 1989)
8
Factors Threatening Biological Diversity

• Human overpopulation

2. Fragmentation of habitat
3. Invasion of alien plants and species
4. Nuclear war and nuclear winter
5. Air pollution and climatic change
(Stone and Stone 1989)
9
Biological Diversity Of Hawaii
1. Plant Diversity
2. Animal Diversity
3. Landscape Diversity
10
Uniqueness of Hawaii

• Hawaii's Economy Depends on its Environment
• Potential New Discoveries in Medicine
• Hawaii's Culture is Linked to its Rich Natural
  Heritage
• Hawaii's Rich Agricultural Heritage
• Hawaii is a Center for Scientific Study

11
Factors Threatening Biological Diversity in Hawaii

• overpopulation

2. Agriculture
3. Invasion species
4. Pollution
5. Deforestation
6. Illiteracy
12
Invasive species of hawaii

• Invasive plants and animals
• Goats, deer, wild pigs and the weed miconia
  (represent the greatest threat to East Maui's
  forests)
• foreign insects, snakes, plants and pests.
• Feral pigs trample delicate nesting birds.
• Rosy wolfsnails gorge themselves on the island's
  native snails
• Miconia plants shade out native plants and hurt
  water quality.

13
Proposed danger

• Some 63 of Hawaiis species are at risk of
  extinction, the highest proportion in the U.S.,
• 217 species are already known to have been lost,
  the gravest total.

14
Conservation in Hawaii

• Hawaii has worked with its federal, state, and
  private partners to protect more than 200,000
  acres of Hawaii's natural areas that shelter
  native species, many of which are found nowhere
  else in the world.

15
Natural conservancy

• The Nature Conservancy uses non-confrontational,
  market-based economic solutions to protect
  habitat a win-win approach to conservation.
• Working only with willing sellers and donors, the
  Conservancy protects land through
• Gifts exchanges
• Conservation easements
• Management agreements
• Purchases from the Conservancy's revolving Land
  Preservation Fund
• Debt-for-nature swaps
• Management partnerships

16
Nature Conservancy Preserves In Hawaii

• Island of Hawaii Kona Hema Preserve
• Kau Preserve

II. Island of Maui East Maui Watershed
Waikomoi Preserve  West Maui Mountains
Watershed Kapunakea Preserve
III. Island of Lanai Kanepuu
Preserve Lanai Forest and Watershed Partnership
17
IV. Island of Molokai East MolokaI Watershed
Pelekunu Preserve  Kamakou Preserve Moomomi
Preserve
Nature Conservancy Preserves In Hawaii contd..
V. Island of Oahu Honouliuli Preserve ihjjhil
auakea Preserve Koolau Mountains Watershed

• VI. Island of Kauai Kaluahonu Preserve

18
Preserves In Hawaii
19
Island Of Hawaii Preserves
20
Hawaii Preserves, Honouliuli, Island of Oahu

• Pristine native forest

21
Kona Hema Preserve, Island of Hawaii

• 75 of all native species occupies
• 1.5 m acres of land , biggest

22
Island Of Maui Preserves
23
East Maui Watershed
24
West Maui Mountains Watershed

• Biologically diverse and pristine in the islands
• Threatened by invasive species like insects and
  plant diseases

25
Waikomoi Preserve

• Has 63 rare plant species and
• 13 rare bird species (7 endangered)

26
Kapunakea Preserve

• Has 24 species of rare plants, including four
  endangered species

• Has only known kauila tree of its kind on Maui

27
Island of LanaI Preserves
28
Kanepuu Preserve
Gardenia brighamii

• Has several patches of an old, extremely rare
  Hawaiian
• dryland forest still remain

• Represents one of the last remaining examples of
  a
• dry lowlands forest that once covered the main
  Hawaiian islands.

• Has guided hike paths

29
Lanai Forest and Watershed Partnership

• Ensures the future supply of water for the
  island of Lanai,

• Protect the health of near-shore waters,
  fisheries and beaches

30
Island of Molokai Preserves
31
Moomomi Preserve

• Has rare coastal species than in any other
  single place in the main
• Hawaiian Islands.

• Has native beaches which has been lost to
  coastal development

• 22 native Hawaiian plant species (four globally
  rare or
• endangered) 

32
East Molokai Watershed 

• To protect high quality native Hawaiian rain
  forest communities

33
Kamakou Preserve

• Has 250 species of Hawaiian plants - 219 of
  which can be found
• nowhere else in the world.

• Has countless native insects, supporting a
  unique array
• of birds.

34
Island of Oahu Preserves
35
Ihjjhilauakea Preserve

• Located in extinct crater on O'ahu's southeast
  end

• Contains rare Marsilea villosa fern, also known
  as 'ihi'ihi,

36
Honouliuli Preserve

• Has dark fertile lands that stretch from the
  waters of Pearl
• Harbor to the summit of the Waianae Mountains

• 70 rare and endangered plant and animal species

37
Endangered Species Of Hawaii

• Animal species
• Hawaiin Hawk
• Hawaiin hoary bat
• Hawksbill Turtles
• Plant Species
• Tetramolopium rockii

Hawaiin Hawk
38
Future Plans of Nature Conservancy

• Nature Conservancy to Protect Critical Nesting
  Beach for Endangered Hawksbill Turtles
• The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii has signed an
  agreement to purchase 24 acres of oceanfront
  property at Kamehame Beach on the Island of
  Hawaii to help ensure the protection of the
  endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle. 

39
Conservation Education In Hawaii

• Teaching the importance of conservation in
  schools and colleges
• Starting voluntary organizations
• Encouraging student participation in conservation
  programs.
• Educating target groups about conservation.
• Recognition of participation.

40
Organisations Helping in Conservation in Hawaii

• U.S. Forest Service
• Nature Conservancy
• East Maui Watershed Partnership
• West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership
• East Molokai Watershed Partnership
• Koolau Mountains Watershed Partnership
• Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species
• Maui Invasive Species Committee
• Big Island Invasive Species Committee
• O'ahu Invasive Species Committee
• Malama Hawai'I
• The Maui County Board of Water Supply

41
Organisations Helping in Conservation in Hawaii

• Kamehameha Schools
• C. Brewer and Company Limited
• Amfac/JMB Hawaii, L.L.C.
• The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii
• Maui Land Pineapple Co., Inc.
• State Department of Land and Natural Resources
• State Department of Land and Natural Resources
• County of Maui Board of Water Supply
• Haleakala Ranch Co.
• East Maui Irrigation Co., Ltd.
• Haleakala National Park
• Hana Ranch

42
Organisations Helping in Conservation in Hawaii

• Castle Cooke Resorts LLC
• Hui Malama Pono O Lanai
• Maui County Board of Water Supply
• U.S. Fish Wildlife Service
• State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural
  Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife
• The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Molokai-Lanai Soil and Water Conservation
  District
• Lanai Water Advisory Committee
• State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural
  Resources, Commission on Water Resource
  Management
• Maui County

43
References

• Meffe K.Gary, C.Ronald Carroll and contributors.
  Principles of Conservation Biology. 1997.
• Stone P.Charles, Danielle B.Stone. Conservation
  Biology in Hawaii.1989.
• www.Hawaiipictures.com
• www.nature.org
• Williamson, M. 1981. Island populations. Oxford
  University Press, Oxford, England.
• Muller WEG, Brummer F, Batel R, Muller IM,
  Schroder HC Molecular biodiversity. Case study
  Porifera (sponges)Naturwissenschaften 90 (3)
  103-120 MAR 2003