When we think of forests under threat, we often think of the tropical rainforest; however, on the island of Hawaiʻi, it is the dryland forest that is far more endangered.
The pollinators are the work horse of the forest. They are the mammals, birds, and insects that perform the invaluable act of pollination. The pollinators themselves are not without their enemies in the natural world.
The Pueo, sometimes called the Hawaiian owl, are an endangered species on Oʻahu, where they are threatened by ground-based predators and urban development, including light pollution. The Hakalau Forest on the windward slope of Mauna Kea provides a safe habitat for the Pueo to make a comeback.
The ʻiʻiwi is one of the most remarkable examples of evolutionary adaptation in the Hawaiian islands. Once found in abundance on each of the isalnds, it is now extinct on Lanaʻi and facing hardship on Oʻahu and Molokaʻi.