A Paradise Paradox in Hawai’i

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People recommend Hawaii for its beaches and coffee and volcanoes.  And those might all be great reasons to go to a place, but I’ll put a word in here for these islands’ amazing diversity.  This may not be a reason many go to Hawai’i – the average tourist is unlikely to witness much of the State’s remaining native biodiversity. Instead, this is a gentle encouragement to appreciate the unique wonders that flourish on isolated tropical islands.

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Disclaimer: I went to Hawai’i, mostly for work-related responsibilities. This was probably a once-in-a-career meeting destination for me, and it means my itinerary was focused on wildlife conservation efforts rather than personal travel. I am an expert on exactly nothing in Hawai’i. These are just stray thoughts, still a bit jumbled, that I’m putting into writing. 

The Way of the Dodo… and the Honeycreepers

Hawai’i is a weird case study.  And I don’t mean in the sense of human colonization or colonialism.  I’ll leave that to people who know history and sociology better than I do.

No, it’s weird because almost nothing below a certain altitude is native.  You go to Hawaii and see all sorts of interesting, exotic birds. Exotic not because you’re in a tropical island paradise, but “exotic” in the sense of “these don’t belong here”.  Birds from Asia.  And birds from the continental United States.  Birds from Africa.  and birds from Brazil.

Where are the native birds?  Many are already extinct. Why? Habitat loss. Invasive predators. Avian influenza.

The only remaining native forest birds are in high altitude native forests.  Oh, right.  Native forests… that’s totally sensible. So where are the remaining native forests?

There’s not a lot.  Some, sure.  Just not a lot. Many inaccessible or requiring a guide or special permit. And, this probably goes without saying, they’re not near Waikiki Beach.

And why high altitude?  Because avian malaria isn’t there yet. The forest birds have little natural resistance to this exotic disease carried by introduced vectors. Thanks for everything, mosquitos.

Beyond the Birds

Hawai’i was not historically home to many mammals or reptiles or amphibians.  To see the really astonishing diversity present on these islands, you have to look closer.  Think small.  Be really really observant in a way that I am absolutely not.

Ok, let’s face it.  No one goes to Hawai’i to see native microfauna.  Fine.  Not much ecotourism worldwide is driven by invertebrates.  That’s probably not going to be changing anytime soon.

But invertebrates are crazy diverse in Hawai’i.  And they’re also disappearing, along with the native birds. Snails and butterflies and bees and flies.

Did you know the Hawaii is an epicenter of fruit fly diversity?  No, I didn’t either.  Why would *anyone* know that?  But it is.  Or it used to be. If plants leave the ecosystem (i.e., I did mention habitat loss, didn’t I?), then so go the insects relying on those plant hosts.

And snails?  Oh, the snail diversity is nuts.  Some with only single populations remaining… and those aren’t even federally listed under the Endangered Species Act.

So Hawai’i easily has the most ESA-listed species in the United States, with easily over 500 species.  No other state even comes close.  And some species are *not* listed that only have one tiny remaining population.  That’s nuts, isn’t it?

Yes, it is nuts.  That was a hypothetical question.

Of course, you’re probably thinking:  “yeah, but they’re snails.” Good point, very nuanced observation you just made there.

I couldn’t begin to tell you what differentiates each snail species. But honestly everything is becoming split for reasons I don’t necessarily understand, so who am I to judge?  I do know that the conservation and reintroduction efforts are insanely expensive, though.  And I’m not saying these species aren’t worth it.

Instead, I’m saying that it’s sad that we’re unable to change how we operate before it gets us to this point.

It’s About the Habitat, Stupid

Native forests on the big island should be dominated by Koa and the ‘Ōhi’a.  Sadly, most large trees were cleared, and the islands lack significant numbers of these trees now. Old growth examples of these trees are not common.

Adding to the problem, a native fungus can kill the ‘Ōhi’a, one of those primary canopy trees, in a matter of days. The fungus might be native, but it might be spread by non-native grazers. And those grazers also prevent these trees from growing back, so areas where ungulates aren’t controlled are generally areas that do not have a native forest canopy.

And the net result is a smaller and smaller footprint of native old growth forests; less and less habitat for native invertebrates (like tree snails) and honeycreepers.

A Rock and a Hard Place

So why isn’t everything being managed for native wildlife?

Multiple factors play into this.  Most other uses are more profitable, certainly.

And one big culprit of habitat destruction, pigs, were brought to the islands long ago and are felt to have a cultural significance. People love to hunt them, too. And along with pigs, there are goats and sheep and… not a single native ungulate. Although the hunting public is a small minority, they’re a very vocal group.  And so there’s a significant acreage of public land on the islands that is managed for hunting non-native game animals. (Not only that, but much of the most reliable conservation funding in the U.S. comes from hunting taxes and license sales, so hunting access is a very real consideration for any state game agency.)

Public lands are often managed for various uses, so it would be a rare thing for any large area to be managed strictly for biodiversity alone.  In additional to game management areas, plenty of land is managed for agricultural interests. And private lands are often used for ranching, coffee production, and tourism.

Basically, it’s complicated.  Everything is complicated, and conservation is always going to face the challenge of competing, conflicting interests. It’s simply exacerbated on remote islands, where evolution has given us wacky and weird creatures which rely on very specific environmental conditions.

And I guess it also created people who love those islands and insist that leveling everything for more condos couldn’t possibly be harmful in the least. Way to go, evolution.

The Big Picture

So what’s the point?  Well, the world is crazy and beautiful; very specialized, and sometimes weird, things are out there.  And in many many places, they’re struggling.

Unfortunately, that couldn’t be more true in Hawai’i.

For every generalist species conquering every new territory it encounters, there are dozens (or more) species acknowledged as extinct in the wild.  Think of the house sparrow in comparison to Hawaiian honeycreepers. It is depressing. But there might be some who can see the possibility of success.  The potential to shift from destruction to cooperation and sustainability. Maybe there is the possibility of optimism, if looked at from the right angle.

But… While I’m on this Soapbox…

So.  Hawai’i is cool. It’s a worthwhile destination. You can swim with sea turtles, see monk seals and whales, and trek along volcanoes.  It’s pretty sweet.

And, also… Hawai’i now is really nothing at all like it was back when the earliest Polynesian settlers set foot on those islands. And, of course, the diversity has been far more substantially changed since Europeans entered its timeline.

I’m not saying “don’t go to Hawai’i”.  I’m not sure this is a problem caused by tourism, nor do I think it could be “fixed” by individual boycott.  Can you be a better tourist?  Probably.  We can all be better about having less imprint, or creating less waste, or focusing our dollars in more impactful ways.

But if you want to see change?  Support policy change.  There are BILLIONS of people in this world.  We need movements that alter how entire populations act, purchase, travel, or consume.  That comes from policy. From multiple countries, because the oceans don’t particularly respect geopolitical boundaries.

Be a good consumer as much as you can; live your life as sustainably as you think is reasonable; support causes you care about when possible.  But don’t forget that corporations and countries have much more impact and influence than individual choices.  Global policies are the only solution for global problems.