Conservation efforts on kauai
help feathered friends.
Posted: Tuesday, August 30,
2016 12:30 am
ALAKAI — Over the past two years,
Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project has led expeditions into the forests of
Kauai’s Alakai Wilderness Preserve, searching for the nests of two bird
species: the akikiki and the akekee.
There are fewer than 1,000
akekee, and the population of akikiki is below 500 members.
“Both have experienced
significant declines over the past decade leading to concerns that these
species will disappear in the future,” said Lisa “Cali” Crampton, in a talk at
Department of Land and Natural Resources headquarters on Oahu Friday.
She said during the expeditions,
eggs have been collected from the wilderness and brought to a captive breeding
facility.
“The creation of captive
populations serves as insurance for the possible extinction of the species,
while simultaneously providing young that can eventually be reintroduced back
into the wild,” Crampton said.
Also speaking at the Friday
conference focused on the future of forest birds was John Vetter, with DLNR
Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
He pointed out habitat loss,
non-native predators, landscape-altering invasive weeds, and avian disease
spread by mosquitoes have all contributed to the current predicament faced by
these species.
“Kauai is the starkest example of
this endangerment,” Vetter said. “Since the 1960s, five species have gone
extinct, with three others considered critically endangered.”
He said introduced avian malaria
is the biggest driver of the “extinction crisis.”
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