National treasure: Biden administration commits $16M to Hawaiian bird conservation efforts - Hawaii News Now

jawawuts.blogspot.com

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Biden-Harris Administration will dedicate $16 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act as part of an initiative to save Native Hawaiian birds from extinction, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced on Tuesday.

Haaland, who is the first Native American to hold a cabinet secretary position, was teary eyed as she gave her address to a packed room of conservationists at the Hawaii Conservation Conference.

The funding will support captive bird care, mosquito eradication, translocation, research, and Native Hawaiian cultural engagement under the administration’s new Hawaiian Forest Bird Conservation Keystone Initiative.

“Hawaiian forest birds are a national treasure and represent an irreplaceable component of our natural heritage. Birds like the ‘I’iwi, Kiwikiu and ‘Akikiki are found nowhere else in the world and have evolved over millennia to adapt to the distinct ecosystems and habitats of the Hawaiian Islands,” Haaland said.

Under the initiative, scientific approaches to conservation will be taken alongside Native Hawaiian biocultural practices.

“[The plan] integrates the Native Hawaiian Cultural Perspective of caring for an endangered bird species just as you would a family member facing a life-threatening illness,” Haaland said.

Without the funding, the Department of Interior says that two species would be extinct by next year.

Since the first mosquitos arrived in Hawaii on American and European ships in 1826, the islands have lost almost 30 of 50 historical Hawaiian honeycreepers. These mosquitoes transmit avian malaria to birds, wiping out entire species.

Other risk factors of extinction include other invasive species, habitat loss and climate change.

Some of the funding will go to a mosquito control technique that uses a bacteria called Wolbachia to interrupt the reproduction of mosquitoes.

Moments prior to Haaland’s announcement, a group of kanaka oiwi conservationists from Kauai delivered a call to action to save birds from extinction in traditional oratory form. The group called upon all people of Hawaii to serve its land and its resources.

“That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Haaland said. “Like many indigenous people around the world, much of my identity reflects the land my people come from. Over millennia, my ancestors use knowledge and practices passed down through generations.”

Haaland said this plan creates space for indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts.

Secretary Haaland’s visit to Hawaii is part of the second round of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Investing in America” Tour that began Wednesday and will run through July 15. Biden and cabinet secretaries are slated to speak in several states over the next three weeks.

The tour is part of a larger national agenda to generate $470 billion in clean energy and private-sector manufacturing investments.

According to The White House, $1 billion in federal funding has been planned for various infrastructure projects in Hawaii as part of Biden’s “Investing in America” plan, including for transportation and access to clean water.

The White House also claims that the program’s legislative measures will create clean-energy jobs and increase affordability in Hawaii.

“Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are working collaboratively with the Native Hawaiian Community and our partners to protect Hawaiian forest birds now and for future generations,” Haaland said.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Adblock test (Why?)

"bird" - Google News
June 28, 2023 at 08:38AM
https://ift.tt/X98q4ge

‘National treasure’: Biden administration commits $16M to Hawaiian bird conservation efforts - Hawaii News Now
"bird" - Google News
https://ift.tt/INdgi0P
https://ift.tt/R6sWvk3

Bagikan Berita Ini