The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act for three endangered plants within the Hawaiian Islands today, in accordance with a federal court order. A total of 789 acres is included within six critical habitat units on the of Lanai, a significant reduction from the 19,504 acres proposed for critical habitat status there in March 2002.
The most significant change from the proposed rule is the exclusion of a 14,482-acre unit of land. The Service believes that the voluntary conservation measures undertaken by the landowner and included in a recent Memorandum of Agreement will significantly benefit the 28 plant species in the unit for which critical habitat was proposed.
The six critical habitat units designated on Lanai provide habitat that is essential for the conservation of the kookoolau (Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha), a member of the aster family; the poe (Portulaca sclerocarpa), an herb in the same family as ihi and moss roses; and for Tetramolopium remyi, also a member of the aster family. Although these species are known to exist on other islands, the areas designated on Lanai will be important for their recovery.
"This rule demonstrates the flexibility of the Endangered Species Act," said Anne Badgley, regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service
