Paradise in Peril
Hawaiian Monk Seal USFWS / © JAMES WATT Life, in all of it's diversity, is precious. Across our planet, plants and animals have adapted and evolved into species that are each amazing, unique and beautiful. Yet with rapidly deteriorating changes to their environments, many species cannot adapt quickly enough, their populations drastically decline until, tragically, they vanish forever. In Hawai‘i, the population is magnified. Life arrived to this isolated chain of islands, and against all odds, some species survived. Over millions of years, descendants of the pioneers formed new interrelationships with the land and other life forms. From coral reefs to the summits of towering volcanoes, from the harsh deserts to lush rainforests, from lava flows to caves - new life evolved and biological communities in the islands entered a state of balance and lōkahi (harmony). 
NPS / JAY ROBINSON Disruption to the balance began with the with the arrival of Polynesians. To feed and nourish their growing populations, Hawaiians burned lowland forests for cropland, converted coastlines into fishponds and diverted streams to create flooded fields. Loss of habitat increased exponentially after western contact in 1778. Vast forests were harvested for sandalwood and cleared for ranching, lumber, sugar cane and other agriculture. As human populations continue to grow, native plants and animals face a colossal invasion of new, human-introduced species that destroy native ecosystems. 
© JACK JEFFREY |
Last updated: April 28, 2023