Projects and Research

The ʻalalā, or Hawaiian crow, has been extinct in the wild since 2002, and conservation partners are working to restore this culturally and ecologically important species. A pilot release on East Maui will test whether its wet forests—where the predatory ʻio is absent—can support ʻalalā survival and breeding.

In March 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 119,326 acres on Hawaiʻi Island as critical habitat for 11 endangered plants and one picture-wing fly. Critical habitat was deemed inadvisable for two other species because designation could increase the risk of illegal collection.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing critical habitat for 22 threatened or endangered species in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Public comments are open through June 22, 2026, with a final rule expected by March 24, 2027.

Trustees propose using about $850,000 from the 1996 Chevron oil-spill settlement to restore 8.8 acres of Pouhala Marsh and support project oversight. The five-year project aims to improve endangered waterbird habitat, wetland function, native plants, and community stewardship.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed terrestrial critical habitat across several Pacific islands for threatened and endangered green sea turtle populations. The designated areas would support nesting and basking habitat while guiding conservation efforts and federal actions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed 223,141 acres of critical habitat across Kauaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi for the threatened ʻiʻiwi. This native forest bird is primarily threatened by mosquito-borne diseases, climate change, habitat loss, and damage to native ʻōhiʻa forests.

The ʻio, or Hawaiian hawk, was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2020 after monitoring showed a stable, resilient population. It breeds mainly on Hawaiʻi Island and still faces threats from habitat loss, invasive plants, and rapid ʻōhiʻa death.

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative seeks a permit covering incidental impacts to nine protected species from powerline and lighting operations. The proposed habitat conservation plan would require measures to mitigate those impacts and support species conservation.

A $2.5 million settlement will fund two Pearl Harbor wetland restoration projects addressing habitat damage caused by hazardous substances at a former Oʻahu Sugar pesticide facility. Public comments on the draft restoration plan closed in February 2025 and will inform the final plan.

Hawaiʻi’s endemic forest birds face imminent extinction as climate change allows malaria-carrying mosquitoes to reach their remaining high-elevation habitats. Conservation partners are pursuing mosquito control, captive care, and relocation to protect the most threatened species.

Hawaiʻi agencies propose releasing non-biting male mosquitoes carrying incompatible Wolbachia across 59,204 acres on Kauaʻi to suppress malaria-spreading mosquito populations and protect endangered forest birds. The technique does not genetically modify mosquitoes or bacteria and would include extensive environmental review and monitoring.

The sihek, a Guam kingfisher extinct in the wild since 1988 due to invasive brown treesnakes, survives through captive breeding. Conservation partners are establishing an experimental population on Palmyra Atoll to study the birds under wild conditions and support their eventual return to Guam.