By Cayla Sigrah
Facts about endangered and extinct native plants and animals:
-Hawaii is known as the “extinction capital of the world” with the extinction of nearly half (140) of its historically recorded native bird species
“Among the Hawaiian Island’s 1,100 native species of plants, 90 percent are endemic; that is, they occur nowhere else. Non-native species introductions and habitat modification have caused about 100 species to go extinct. Currently over 300.Hawaiian plants are listed as endangered (more than half the U.S. total), and more than 100 plant species have fewer than 20 specimens remaining in the wild.”
-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
-The construction of Hotels by the beachfront, although pleasant to look at, have been cutting off natural river pathways that many fish use to migrate upstream and down it. Hawaiian Stream Gobies: Oopu nopili (Sicypterus stimpsoni), Oopu nakea (Awous stamineus); Hawaiian freshwater shrimp: Opae kalaole (Atyoida bisulcata) are suffering the most from this.
-The native flora comprises 89% endemic species
-Endemic= belonging or native to a particular people or country
Example: Guava, known as a Hawaiian fruit, are actually invasive and not good for native plants.
-Flora of Hawaii now includes more than 1044 introduced plant species; more than 100 of these are likely to be invasive in natural areas
So here are the links to those Organization with a little info on who they are and what is so great about them:
https://www.mnmrc.org/news.php
“Our Mission is to bring human actions into balance with ecological principles through education, collaboration and advocacy so that our near-shore waters will be restored to health with abundant life and sustained for future generations”
HYCC https://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/YCC/Update
“The Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps (HYCC) is a hands-on set of programs aimed at educating Hawaii’s youth on the many conservation issues that threaten Hawaii’s unique environment. Programs go from short-term summer programs to year-round internships. Students are mentored by and work alongside some of Hawaii’s premiere conservation leaders while building friendships with other students who desire to protect and restore our paradise. Participants engage in meaningful conservation work to help restore rain forests, dry land forests, trails, wetlands, coastal areas, and other areas. Members are also challenged to develop leadership, job, and teamwork skills. Participants work in rarely visited, breathtaking habitats. HYCC is more than just “out of the ordinary”; it’s a chance of a lifetime!
The mission of the Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps aims is to provide a healthy and hands-on educational experience to Hawaii’s youth in order to encourage the development of natural resource managers, cultural awareness, personal growth, teamwork, leadership, skills, and an environmental mindset that participants will carry with them throughout their life.”
https://hawaiiconservation.org/about
“The mission of the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance is to provide unified leadership and advocacy on conservation issues critical to Hawai‘i. Our purpose is to work together to continue a legacy of stewardship and to achieve the goal of promoting the preservation of native terrestrial and marine ecosystems, increasing the diversity of native species, and ensuring that the unique biodiversity of our islands is maintained into the future.”
