Endangered Species

endangered species includes:

The Endangered Species Program conserves endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. Conserving endangered and threatened species is necessary to preserve our natural heritage for future generations and to maintain our quality of life. Safeguarding ecosystems benefit all users of ecosystem resources and is essential to maintaining our nation's long term economic prosperity.

A species can be listed under one of two categories, endangered or threatened, depending on its status and the degree of threat it faces. Endangered species are plants and animals that are in immediate danger of becoming extinct and need protection to survive. Threatened species are those that are declining in numbers and might become endangered if conservation efforts are not immediately taken.

As you browse through the endangered species section, you will learn that island ecosystems are very fragile and that island species depend on one another for survival. It will also become apparent that the major causes for the decline of some species are due to urban development, which takes over the limited habitat of native plants and animals, and the introduction of alien species, which compete for food and habitat and sometimes become predators of native species.

Unfortunately, Hawai‘i has the highest number of listed threatened and endangered species in the nation. There are 394 threatened and endangered species in the State of Hawai‘i, of which 294 are plants.

Like the plants and animals in Hawai‘i, the Pacific islands species are equally fragile and rare. The introduction of alien species and diseases to these islands has had a devastating effect on the native plants and animals and has led to the elimination of 9 of the 12 bird species that made up the entire native forest birds of Guam.