Page 84 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

However, during the most recent led by Richard Camp and including Hakalau Forest NWR
9 years of the 21-year period, many Jack Jeffrey, presented their data and Other areas
of the populations had decreased. acknowledged that many populations
Regressions run on the last 9 years showed downward trends in the most 50
alone showed apparent declines for recent 9 years. Freed and his colleague Percentage of populations
many species (see Figure 1). Rebecca Cann reanalyzed the federal
Biologist Leonard Freed of the data using alternative methods and 25
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa argued questioned whether the earlier appar-
that federal biologists were overempha- ent increases were reliable.
sizing the positive long-term trends and At stake is how to manage the
ignoring the negative near-term trends. forest and its birds. If Camp and his Extirpated Decreasing Stable Increasing
For years, Freed and his colleagues had colleagues are right, then manage-
conducted research within Hakalau, ment actions taken so far seem to have Figure 3 At hakalau Forest nWr,
focusing on the breeding biology of been effective, boosting populations or native forest bird populations were
the Hawai‘i ‘aˉ kepa (Figure 2a). Their holding them stable in the face of dire judged to be stable or increasing,
research suggested that the ‘aˉ kepa threats. If Freed and Cann are right, then whereas at four other protected areas
began suffering competition for food management strategies may need to be on the island of hawai’i, most popula-
once the non-native Japanese white- rethought. Researchers on all sides are tions were judged to be decreasing,
eye (Figure 2b) became abundant in debating the issues diligently because and some have recently vanished. Data
the forest. This competition, along they care deeply about the forest and its from Camp, Richard J., et al. 2009. Passerine
with attacks from parasitic lice in the birds and are trying their utmost to save bird trends at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife
nest, stunted the growth of young them during a time of crisis. Refuge, Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i Cooperative Studies
birds, Freed maintained, and threat- Many factors could account Unit Technical Report HCSU-011.
ened the ‘aˉ kepa population. Freed for the apparent recent declines in
urged that white-eyes be trapped populations of ‘aˉ kepas and other overwhelm even the best manage-
and killed in order to save the ‘aˉ kepa. native honeycreepers, including the ment efforts.
Refuge biologists called Freed’s results simple fact that thicker forest vegeta- Today researchers continue to
controversial and said they needed tion has made it harder for counters survey Hakalau’s birds, adding to
validation. to detect birds. Of concern, though, their valuable long-term database of
The debate came to a head in a is the possibility that challenges from population trends. But government
pair of papers published back-to-back outside the refuge—such as malaria budget cuts are threatening their ability
in the ornithological journal Condor in and pox being driven upslope by to analyze the data, as well as their
2010. The team of federal biologists, climate warming—might eventually capacity to safeguard the refuge. Amid
cuts in funding and staffing, pigs broke
through fences and began degrading
the newly restored forest. Most funding
was recently reinstated, but each time
budget cuts are made, refuge staff
must work hard at greater expense
just to regain the progress previously CHAPTER 3 • Ev ol u T i on, Bi odiv ER si T y, A nd Po P ul AT i on E C ology
made.
Despite the apparent recent
declines in bird populations at
Hakalau, populations there seem to
be faring better than elsewhere on the
island of Hawai‘i (Figure 3). Moreover,
the reforestation of Hakalau’s upper
zone is creating new habitat into which
birds are moving. This success is a
hopeful sign that research and care-
(b) Japanese white-eye
(a) Hawai`i `ākepa (b) Japanese white-eye
(a) Hawai`i `ākepa
ful management can help undo past
Figure 2 Work by biologist Leonard Freed suggests that the `aˉkepa is suffering damage and preserve endangered
competition from the non-native Japanese white-eye. island species.

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