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| Mission
Statement
The Endangered Species Problem
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Few island groups in the world have lost as many species as Hawaii. Even
before the arrival of Europeans, Polynesian explorers brought pigs to the
islands, and likely Pacific rats also. After Captain Cook made his voyage
of discovery, the islands became an increasingly popular destination for
the outside world, but the impacts of humans and their activities were
to be disastrous. Non-native invasive plants or predators have had catastrophic
effects on the native flora and fauna of Hawaii, and continue to threaten
the remaining indigenous species.
For the last several decades, a wide variety of efforts have been underway to try and stem the tide of destruction brought about by non-native species. In spite of these valiant efforts, much has still been lost. For example, within the high Alakai Swamp on the island of Kauai, more bird species have gone extinct in the last 20 years than in any other location on earth. Much damage is the direct result of predation by rats, feral cats, and habitat destruction by pigs.
Several ESRC members are already working for their respective parent organizations in Hawaii, but we have been asked specifically to help by bringing the knowledge and experience of our New Zealand predator management specialists to bear on a variety of problems facing Hawaii-based conservation agencies. New Zealand leads the world in predator management technology, having successfully conducted scores of successful predator removal and control projects at home and at numerous locations around the globe. The ESRC looks forward to being the catalyst for making this information and technology transfer take place. We are currently in discussions with several agencies to put ESRC member expertise to work in Hawaii as soon as possible. |
© 2000 Endangered Species Recovery Council. All rights reserved.
