Pacific Island Species are Being Proposed for Delisting Due to Extinction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that 23 species be removed from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction, with nine of those native to the islands of Hawaiʻi and two from Guam. While the purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems they depend on, the protections for these proposed species unfortunately came too late, with most of them either already extinct, functionally extinct, or in steep decline at the time of listing.
However, the extinction of these species highlights the important role the ESA plays in conservation and the need to protect species before their decline becomes irreversible. For many of these species, human activity has driven their decline or extinction, contributing to climate change, habitat loss, overuse and the introduction of invasive species and disease. In fact, the growing impacts of climate change are only expected to get for many species and their natural ecosystems.
Wildlife and plants endemic to the Hawaiian Islands face a heightened risk of extinction because of their isolation and small geographic ranges. This is none more apparent than here where ecosystems have been greatly impacted by climate change and invasive, human introduced species such as the mosquito. Invasive species remain the most prominent threat to Hawaiʻi’s native species, with changing climatic conditions poised to accelerate and exacerbate existing threats. Hawaiʻi’s native forest birds are exceptionally at risk because of mosquito borne avian malaria.
Commonly found in birds throughout the world, avian malaria generally has little impact on the health of the bird; however, because Hawaiʻi’s forest birds evolved in isolation the impact of avian malaria has been devastating. The only sanctuary for many forest birds is to live in higher altitudes where mosquitoes could not survive. But as temperatures rise because of climate change, mosquitoes are slowly making their way into higher elevated safe zones for these birds.
Eight of Hawaiʻi’s proposed delisted species are forest birds and a majority of them last being sighted either well before their ESA listing or shortly after. Many of these species have striking characteristics such as the curved beaks of the Kauaʻi ʻakialoa and nukupuʻu, the haunting call of the Kauaʻi ʻoʻo, and the brilliant colors of the Maui ʻākepa and Molokaʻi creeper. Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands are home to more than 650 species of plants and animals listed under the ESA. This is more than any other state, and most of these species are found nowhere else in the world.
“Hawaiʻi’s endemic forest birds are facing an extinction crisis,” said Earl Campbell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field supervisor. “In addition to the threats posed by invasive species and habitat loss, avian malaria, a disease transmitted by invasive mosquitoes, is driving the extinction of our forest birds. For many species, a single bite by an infected mosquito can be deadly. Today, most of our forest birds are restricted to the upper elevation forest habitats too cold for mosquitoes and avian disease. However, as climate change accelerates, mosquitoes are expanding their range into upper elevation forests, threatening what little safe habitat these birds have left.”
The two species being proposed for delisting due to extinction on Guam are the bridled white-eye, or nossa, and the little Mariana fruit bat. In addition to habitat loss and hunting, the invasive brown tree snake contributed to or was the primary cause of the decline of these two species. Guam’s forest were once filled with the calls of birds but today are mostly silent due to the introduction of this invasive predator. Though there are bridled white eye on other islands in the Mariana archipelago, the Guam subspecies of bridled white-eye was found only on Guam.
Listed on the ESA in 1984 under the ESA, the little Mariana fruit bat was last seen in the wild in 1968 and didn’t have the opportunity to benefit from the full protections of the act. However, Mariana fruit bat, or fanihi, are still found throughout Guam and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands and are listed under the ESA as threatened. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with Guam Department of Agriculture and CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife to protect this species.
Most of the threats that contributed to the decline of these species are still present on Guam today. Habitat loss and change, development, and the introduction of invasive species continue to pose a threat to wildlife and wild places, with climate change leading the charge. The invasive brown tree snake has greatly contributed to or was the primary cause of the decline of the species being proposed for being removed from the ESA due to extinction.
“We do feel a sense of loss for these two species that did not have the full protections needed to recover,” said Chelsa Muna-Brecht, Guam Department of Agriculture director. “We experienced the same loss with other bird species on Guam. But, here at DOAG, we take that sense of loss and use it to fuel our commitment to work with our partners to protect the fanihi, sihek, koko, and other native species for our community.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with partners and communities to not only prevent further species from going extinct, but to one day recover species so that they no longer need the protections of the ESA. State and territorial governments, federal agencies, indigenous communities, and local non-government organizations are important in helping to take the lessons learned from these proposed delisting's and apply them towards future conservation efforts such as:
- Recovering species like nēnē (Hawaiian goose) — after 60 years of collaborative conservation work by federal, state, non-governmental organizations, and local partners the Service has resulted in the downlisting of the nēnē from endangered to threatened.
- Establishing predator-proof fencing on national wildlife refuges, and other federal and state lands, to protect threatened and endangered seabirds, waterbirds, and snails from invasive predators such as cats, rats, and mongoose.
- Preventing the rarest plants from disappearing through the Plant Extinction Prevention Program, a partnership that protects 236 of Hawaiʻi’s listed plants.
- Restoring habitat with partners and on private lands, including work with Pulama Lānaʻi to restore the island of Lānaʻi.
- Combating and preventing the spread of invasive species like the brown tree snake — this introduced predator is responsible for the extirpation of most native bird species on Guam.
“The rich biological diversity of the Pacific Islands is incredible. It also means we have incredible challenges — over 578 species are protected by the Endangered Species Act,” said Campbell. “In the Pacific Islands, natural resources are cultural resources as well, and when they disappear, so do their important roles in our heritage and communities. Now more than ever, it is important to work with our partners to protect Pacific Islands wildlife and plants for future generations.”
Hawaiʻi and Guam Species Proposed for Delisting Due to Extinction:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, connect with us through any of these social media channels at https://www.facebook.com/PacificIslandsFWS, www.flickr.com/photos/usfwspacific/, or www.twitter.com/USFWSPacific.