Saving Hidden Paradise
Hawaiʻi’s idyllic beaches and tropical climate are the reason most visitors come—not for
the rare and beautiful forms of life found only within the valleys and mountains of the islands.
The first, however, cannot exist without the second. Hawaiʻi’s remoteness means its environment
is a carefully balanced system, which current circumstances are endangering.
From the mountainous and volcanic slopes of Hawaiʻi island, to the arid leeward plains
of Oʻahu, to the lush and verdant forests of Kauaʻi, the ever-present variety in the landscape has
created a community of uniquely tailored species of both animals and plants. Preserving this
natural biodiversity of species is a vital task.
While being labeled the “Endangered Species Capital of the World,” the Islands of
Hawaiʻi have primarily been focused on conserving endemic animals such as the Nene
(Hawaiian Goose) and the Hawaiian monk seal, but equally important native plants have not
garnered the attention they deserve. With almost 90 percent of the nearly 1,400 plant taxa that
exist here being unique to the islands, of which 365 plant taxa are considered endangered, the
importance of preserving native flora is vital in maintaining Hawaiʻi’s delicate ecosystem.
Activities of deforestation, invasive species, and feral undulates continue to threaten native
Hawaiian plants.
The Lyon Arboretum of Mānoa, a branch of the University of Hawaiʻi, is one of the most
important research and preservation facilities in the state. With a special emphasis on
rehabilitating endangered endemic species, its Rare Hawaiian Plants program has reintroduced
around 2000 plant specimens into the wild in the 2012-2014 period.
The rare plant program is an initiative created
to “preserve, propagate, and protect native Hawaiian
and endangered species with the assistance of federal
and state agencies and private land owners,” said Dr.
Carl Evensen, interim director of the Arboretum. Its
focus is split on two main projects: a seed
conservation laboratory, and a micropropagation
laboratory.
In the seed conservation laboratory, plant
species are tested to ascertain their viability in long
term storage; about 6 percent of Hawaiian taxa are
unviable. The seed bank has a collection of holdings
that number over 10 million seeds.
ko’oko’olau (Bidens torta) seeds sown on a petri dish for
viability testing | Photo Courtesy of Dr. Marian Chau of the
Lyon Arboretum
The micropropagation laboratory has grown
300+ Hawaiian plant species and 136 threatened or
endangered plant species. It uses tissue culture, a
method involving growing selected plants in a highly
controlled, sterile environment.
Rare plants growing in the Micropropagation Laboratory |
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Marian Chau of the Lyon Arboretum
“We collect seeds in a seed banking scheme
which is better [than micropropagation], because it is
cheaper and allows greater diversity. In situations
where that is untenable, tissue culture is used.” The
Arboretum is the largest facility in the state which
uses the labor intensive procedure on endangered
species. An estimated 25,000-30,000 plants are
preserved this way.
Even as parts of Hawaiʻi’s forests are slowly being restored, the survival of the larger
Hawaiian ecosystem relies on the continued investment of time and money into the local
environment. Today, thanks to the efforts of the Lyon Arboretum staff, many once-rare species
are now in recovery.