The national nonprofit Endangered Species Coalition chose Hawai‘i’s Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP) as one of 10 outstanding efforts to recognize, when the 50th anniversary of the federal Endangered Species Act was celebrated in December 2023. This was based on the discovery of a rare plant, Silene lanceolata, by PEPP technician Susan Deans last year, while rappelling on a remote cliffside.
Photo courtesy: Graham Talaber
The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife PEPP celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and has focused on fostering the continued existence of more than 260 rare and endangered Hawaiian plants.
“We have almost half of all endangered plants in the United States. So, the level of rarity in Hawai‘i is unsurpassed anywhere else in the world,” said Matt Keir, PEPP lead. “After two decades of work, we saved about 30 different species from extinction through cultivation and that’s been our biggest success.” Plants make the extinction list when fewer than 50 individuals remain in the wild.
Cyanea rivularis is a rare plant In the mountains of Kaua‘i that produces conical-shaped lavender and white flowers. It is a key component to a fully functioning and healthy native ecosystem, similar to many endangered plant species, but only three wild plants remained at the time of PEPP’s discovery. The team is now supplementing the population with 2,500 cultivated plants at five different sites.
“Plants in the sites we’ve covered so far are doing great,” said PEPP Field Coordinator Scott Heintzman. “Already, native honeycreeper birds are interacting with the plants and
cross-pollinating individuals so we’re really seeing a rebound
of this species.”
The connection between endangered native plants and endangered forest birds, primarily honeycreepers, received local attention in January, when Governor Josh Green, M.D., declared 2024 as “Makahiki O Nā Manu Nahele: The Year of the Forest Bird,” via proclamation.