Hawaii's Extinction Crisis Endangered Hawaiian gardenia.   Hawai'i has the dubious distinction of being the extinction capital of the United States. Destruction and loss of forest habitat are the primary causes of species decline. These tiny, remote islands are home to a stunning abundance of life  –  more than 10,000 native species, most found nowhere else on Earth. Yet 72% of all species that have gone extinct in the U.S. are from Hawai'i. Other species hover on the brink of extinction today. Learn more about Hawaii's extinction crisis. Pua'a (Pigs) Gone Wild Learn more about our Forest Recovery Project, a proactive initiative to restore the health of our native forests by addressing the threat of alien species, like the wild pig pictured here. Wildfire   Some native species are just a wildfire away from extinction. Be fire-smart and help prevent forest fires!

Almost everywhere you go, the native forest is under siege. Goats are eating their way up the side of the mountain in East Moloka'i. Miconia calvescens, the "green cancer," has a foothold on Maui and the Big Island. Feral (wild) pigs and other hooved animals non-native to Hawai'i have spread into every watershed in the state, endangering native forests and, through the coral-smothering effects of erosion and sedimentation, the health of offshore reefs and waters as well.

Remote, oceanic islands are more vulnerable to ecological invasions than any other ecosystems. In Hawai'i, the damage done by feral cattle, pigs, goats, rats, weeds, wildfire, invasive insects, and other threats introduced by people has rendered the Islands' native forests among the most endangered in the world.

Deadly Invaders

Before human arrival, Hawaii's native ecosystems extended from the mountains to the sea. Today, Hawai'i has lost half of its native forest cover. While the historical impacts from agriculture, grazing, logging, and development are responsible for much of this loss, the greater threat today is the destruction wrought by invasive plants, animals and insects.

Diseases introduced to these islands also pose a constant threat, as the spread of infestations is virtually impossible to contain. For example, since it was first sighted in 2005, the erythrina gall wasp has decimated the native wiliwili tree, a tree of great social, cultural and ecological importance in Hawai'i.

Prevention is our only and best strategy to protect our natural treasures from being wiped out by foreign plagues.

An Ounce of Prevention

If we are to preserve our remaining native forests and prevent further species loss, we must halt the continuing invasion of non-native plants and animals that is undermining the ecological stability of our Islands.

The best way to protect our native forests from further invasions is through enhanced prevention – stopping alien pests before they get here, or before they spread. Many scientists agree that once you allow an invasive pest to become established, it's almost impossible to eradicate, and efforts to control these populations are labor-intensive and expensive.

Forest Recovery Project

The Conservancy's Forest Recovery Project, developed in cooperation with our partners, builds on past and ongoing efforts to control growing populations of invasive species and reduce their impact on native forested watersheds.

The latest forest protection methods and technology are being utilized in this campaign to proactively reduce and contain populations of invasive weeds and wild, hooved animals that endanger Hawaii's remaining native forest.  

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): © Phil Spalding (erosion, destroyed forest at Kahikinui, Maui); © Alan Holt/TNC (dying native 'ōhi'a forest, overgrazing by feral goats); © Art Whistler (endangered na'u, Hawaiian gardenia, Lāna'i).