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Hawaii’s native forest birds face an extinction crisis — an ongoing issue, in many aspects, but one that has been lifted to a new level of urgency by global warming. Avian malaria, caused by introduced mosquitoes, poses the greatest threat to forest birds today, and climate change is leading to rising temperatures in high forests, bringing mosquitoes into once disease-free areas.
A 2022 report issued by scientists connected with the University of Hawaii and incorporated in federal policy found that four honeycreeper species in the islands are at the “brink of extinction,” and biologists studying the birds have called for a rapid response to prevent it. That puts Hawaii on the front lines as global warming creates an enormous challenge: adaptation to a transforming environment.
Rather than accept extinction of Hawaii’s endemic birds, concerted effort is needed, and Hawaii’s state and local governments, island residents and all U.S. citizens must support — and in some cases, demand — effective action, backed by adequate resources and research.
At this critical time, when responses effective in the past are no longer available, the federal government has recognized the need: During a visit to Hawaii last week, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that nearly $16 million in federal funding has been committed to preventing the “imminent” extinction of Hawaiian forest birds.
By calling the extinction of Hawaii’s precious forest birds “imminent,” the federal administration is recognizing a painful reality: Hawaii is precariously close to losing these irreplaceable endemic species forever, unless interventions are made. This $16 million, dedicated to funding a new Hawaiian Forest Bird Conservation Keystone Initiative, is a welcome step, but is almost certainly not enough to meet a federal goal of preserving these bird populations, which have been steadily dwindling. Additional spending and action to stop this loss is justified, as is full support from Hawaii-based entities, both public and private.
Haaland announced the forest bird initiative June 27 as the keynote speaker of the Hawaii Conservation Conference in Waikiki. The funding comes from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda to support restoration of habitats and strengthen climate resilience, nationwide.
By no coincidence, the federal initiative was announced in the same week that changed federal rules were revealed that make relocation of imperiled plants and animals more feasible under the Endangered Species Act. The strategy was long avoided because of the risk of changing the balance of other habitats — but the current planetary crisis posed by climate change is leading to approval of “last chance” tactics.
Hawaii already serves as a site for translocated birds from Midway Atoll, which could largely disappear as sea levels rise. The change in federal regulations, published Friday by the Biden administration, would also allow relocations when a species is crowded out by non-native species, as happened on Guam after introduced brown tree snakes drove native Guam kingfishers to extinction in the wild. In a hopeful step, kingfishers are now slated to be translocated to Palmyra Atoll, south of Hawaii, in hopes of establishing a wild population.
While on Oahu, Haaland addressed the value of Hawaii’s rare birds. “These birds are an integral, ecological and cultural component of the Hawaiian Islands,” she said, confirming the inseparable connection with Hawaii’s natural and cultural history. Haaland also recognized the birds’ value as scientific markers, reflecting the health of Hawaii’s forests.
By all means possible, including translocation to higher altitudes, the state and nation must continue to fight for the survival of these rare treasures.
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July 05, 2023 at 05:07PM
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Editorial: Don’t give up on native forest birds - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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