Mission StatementThe Plant Extinction Prevention Program’s mission is to protect Hawaii’s rarest native plants from extinction. We are committed to reverse the trend toward extinction by managing wild plants, collecting seeds and establishing new populations. We focus on species that have fewer than 50 plants remaining, collaborating with conservation partners who have a shared interest in preserving Hawaii’s unique biodiversity. OrganizationThe Plant Extinction Prevention Program is a statewide program dedicated to protecting Hawaii's at-risk species. We target those species that number fewer than 50 individuals remaining and unfortunately, Hawaii has about 175 species that fit this description. Formerly called the Genetic Safety Net, this program is the brainchild of the Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Group (HRPRG), a consortium of botanical experts from over 35 conservation agencies, organizations,and individuals. BackgroundHawaii’s relative isolation and location within the Polynesian biological hotspot has resulted in one the highest plant diversity regions in the world. Approximately 90% of Hawaii’s flora is endemic, found nowhere else in the world. This exemplary biodiversity has experienced precipitous declines in the past 200 years that have corresponded to increased human occupation. Loss of habitat and the native plant and animal species that comprise them are largely due to land conversion, introduction of invasive non-native plants and animals, fire, and other anthropogenic threats. Already 40% of Hawaii’s forest has been lost, resulting in the extinction of over 10% of its native flora such that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deems half of the flora of Hawaii at risk of extinction. Not surprisingly then, Hawaii has the largest number of endangered plant species in the country (372), which represents 42% of all endangered plant species in the United States. Yet, Hawaii comprises only one-fifth of 1% of the land area resulting in extreme diversity over very small areas. If you would like more info about Hawaii's PEP Program, please contact the Statewide PEP Coordinator: Joan Yoshioka, 808-974-4388,
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. *This site is still under construction, more exciting PEP information on the way!*
Mission Statement
The Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program’s mission is to protect Hawai`i’s rarest native plants from extinction. We are committed to reverse the trend toward extinction by managing wild plants, collecting seeds and establishing new populations. We focus on species that have fewer than 50 plants remaining in the wild, collaborating with conservation partners who have a shared interest in preserving Hawai`i’s unique biodiversity.
Background
Hawai`i’s relative isolation has made it a biological hotspot with one of the highest rates of plant diversity in the world. Approximately 90% of Hawai`i’s flora is endemic, found only in Hawai`i and nowhere else in the world. But this diversity is in peril. Already Hawai`i has lost half of its native flora, and 10% or more of its remaining plant species go extinct each year. The loss of habitat, which is a direct and cumulative effect of human occupation, land conversion, invasive non-native plants and animals, intentionally and unintentionally set wildfires, and other anthropogenic threats, greatly contributes to this loss. Hawai`i has the dubious distinction of being “the endangered species capitol of the world,” with 37% of all endangered plant species in the United States and the highest number of endangered plant species on earth (274). Yet Hawai`i comprises only a small fraction of the earth’s land area (0.02%), resulting in extreme diversity over very small areas. To date, Hawai`i is home to an overwhelming 173 species that have fewer than 50 plants remaining in the wild, coined “PEP species.”
The PEP Program
The Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program seeks to protect Hawai`i’s unique diversity by conserving Hawai`i’s most critically rare plant species through collaboration with large and small private, state, and federal landowners, land managers, researchers, and other partners. We are a federally, state, and privately funded endangered plant program comprised of a team of dedicated, specialized botanists that serve as island PEP coordinators versed in rare plant identification and natural resources management. Field work can be grueling, labor-intensive, and conducted in some of the most rugged terrains and remote sites in Hawai`i. For this reason, island PEP coordinators are field-experienced in rappelling, helicopter operations, chainsaw use, pesticide use, animal control, fence construction, and extreme hiking and camping. We are also personally and professionally committed to do what we can to preserve our biological legacy for future generations.
Last year, the PEP Program and its conservation partners implemented protection actions for 107 federally listed Endangered and Threatened plant species, 21 Candidate species, and 24 Species of Concern. Generally, the PEP Program and its partners implement the highest priority recovery actions identified in endangered plant recovery plans and in the State of Hawai`i’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, October 2005. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and other botanical experts of the Hawai`i Rare Plant Restoration Group (HRPRG) provide oversight for the program. The HRPRG, which conceived and developed the PEP Program, is a consortium of over 35 conservation agencies and organizations and private landowners. To conduct highly sensitive work on endangered species, we hold all necessary federal and state collection permits.
Want to know more about what we do? Click here! [readmore link to the following text]
To halt this high extinction rate and reverse the decline in diversity of Hawai`i’s ecosystems, the PEP Program has adopted a 5-pronged approach, listed below. We invite you to read more about a few PEP species and what the PEP Program and its partners are doing to conserve them, by following the links provided on the banner on the left side of this page. Our annual reports will be available shortly so please visit again for frequent updates.
1. Protect Founders: Protecting the remaining wild rare plants in their natural habitats, or in-situ conservation, remains a high priority. These remaining wild plants, called "founders,” contain the genetic diversity we attempt to preserve. This genetic diversity allows species to avoid inbreeding and is a buffer against ever-changing environmental conditions, attacks from pathogens and random population changes, giving the species the greatest chances of being restored to the ecosystems for which they are an inherent part. With the loss of each founder, genetic diversity is lost and the species takes one step closer to extinction. Toward this goal, the PEP Program identifies and mitigates the threats to founders by fencing the plants from browsing ungulates (hoofed animals such as pigs, sheep, goat, cattle); controlling predator numbers (rats, mice); and removing invasive non-native plants with which they compete for space, water, sun, nutrients, etc. We also work closely with cooperating agencies to address the threat of fire and other human-caused impacts. In Fiscal Year 2009, PEP staff protected 34 PEP species (24 listed Endangered) and 11 other rare plant species (7 Endangered) through focused weed control, rat control, ungulate control or exclusion, and slug exclusion. Within the year, the PEP Program and its partners constructed 36 small and medium-sized fenced exclosures to protect 12 critically rare species.
2. Monitor Plants: Field Coordinators monitor the health and vigor of individuals of wild and reintroduced individuals. Field staff record plant and population information on Rare Plant Monitoring Forms: http://www.hear.org/hrprg/pdfs/fielddataform.pdf] developed by the HRPRG. Monitoring plant health, vigor, threats, numbers, and phenology gives island coordinators the means to judge the effectiveness of our conservation program and determine when fruit will be available for collection. In Fiscal Year 2009, the PEP Program monitored populations of 132 critically rare plant species, of which 90 are PEP species. Monitoring PEP populations revealed there was a loss of plants of 9 PEP species on Kaua`i, Maui, and Lana`i due to myriad threats.
3. Collect Propagules: Island coordinators collect propagules (fruit, seed, cuttings, pollen, leaf buds, etc.) from as many individuals of PEP species as possible and preserve them at off-site or ex-situ facilities. Ex-situ conservation relies on the concept that preserved genetic material is not an endpoint of conservation but an essential tool that allows land managers the time to plan and execute habitat protection and restoration programs, and ultimately, to recover species that might otherwise become extinct. We place the propagules in the care of experts through partnerships with ex-situ facilities such as 1) state and private rare plant nurseries and botanical gardens that cultivate plants, 2) micropropagation labs for tissue culture storage and propagation, and 3) seed storage facilities to preserve seeds for the medium-term. Cryogenic storage is available at seed storage labs across the country. The PEP Program follows strict guidelines for collections: http://www.hear.org/hrprg/pdfs/collectinghandling.pdf developed by the HRPRG. In Fiscal Year 2009, the PEP program collected propagules from 89 rare plant species and placed them in ex-situ protection. Of these, 58 were PEP species and 38 are listed Endangered.
4. Reintroduce Plants: For all PEP species, very few plants remain, leaving them vulnerable to extinction with a single natural event such as hurricane or flood. To mitigate the low numbers, the PEP Program and its partners seek to increase the species’ numbers by planting nursery-grown stock into native-dominated areas to establish new populations (reintroductions) or less frequently, to bolster already existing populations (augmentation). Because of the potential for disease- or non-native species-contamination into natural areas, all reintroductions follow strict sanitation guidelines. The goal of outplantings is to create populations that have balanced genetic representation from as many founders as possible, numbers in different age groups, and a balanced sex ratio. Generally, the stock is from the same region or maternal lineage. In Fiscal Year 2009, island PEP Coordinators reintroduced 10 PEP and other critically rare species into their natural habitats on Maui, Moloka`i, and Hawai`i Island. To ensure their protection, outplanting exclosures were also constructed to house the newly reintroduced plants.
5. Survey for New Plants or Populations: The discovery of additional founder plants can greatly increase the species’ chances of recovery and therefore surveys are considered high priority actions. Additional surveys are generally conducted at and around already-known or historical populations and many new individuals of PEP species have been found this way. Success in discovering new populations has depended greatly on the proximity to other plants of the same species, terrain, weather, and other variables. In Fiscal Year 2009, island PEP Coordinators conducted surveys specifically to look for additional populations of 9 PEP species on Kaua`i, 2 on O`ahu, 4 on Moloka`i, 19 on Maui, 4 on Lana`i, and 10 on Hawai`i Island (48 PEP species total, plus 42 non-PEP rare species). Surveys of this type have resulted in the discovery of additional plants of 17 PEP species.
If you would like more info about Hawaii's PEP Program, please contact the Statewide PEP Coordinator: Joan Yoshioka, 808-974-4388,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
*This site is still under construction, more exciting PEP information on the way!*
Aloha, and Welcome to the Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program Homepage!
Mission Statement
The Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program’s mission is to protect Hawai`i’s rarest native plants from extinction. We are committed to reverse the trend toward extinction by managing wild plants, collecting seeds and establishing new populations. We focus on species that have fewer than 50 plants remaining in the wild, collaborating with conservation partners who have a shared interest in preserving Hawai`i’s unique biodiversity.
Background
Hawai`i’s relative isolation has made it a biological hotspot with one of the highest rates of plant diversity in the world. Approximately 90% of Hawai`i’s flora is endemic, found only in Hawai`i and nowhere else in the world. But this diversity is in peril. Already Hawai`i has lost half of its native flora, and 10% or more of its remaining plant species go extinct each year. The loss of habitat, which is a direct and cumulative effect of human occupation, land conversion, invasive non-native plants and animals, intentionally and unintentionally set wildfires, and other anthropogenic threats, greatly contributes to this loss. Hawai`i has the dubious distinction of being “the endangered species capitol of the world,” with 37% of all endangered plant species in the United States and the highest number of endangered plant species on earth (274). Yet Hawai`i comprises only a small fraction of the earth’s land area (0.02%), resulting in extreme diversity over very small areas. To date, Hawai`i is home to an overwhelming 173 species that have fewer than 50 plants remaining in the wild, coined “PEP species.”
The PEP Program
The Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program seeks to protect Hawai`i’s unique diversity by conserving Hawai`i’s most critically rare plant species through collaboration with large and small private, state, and federal landowners, land managers, researchers, and other partners. We are a federally, state, and privately funded endangered plant program comprised of a team of dedicated, specialized botanists that serve as island PEP coordinators versed in rare plant identification and natural resources management. Field work can be grueling, labor-intensive, and conducted in some of the most rugged terrains and remote sites in Hawai`i. For this reason, island PEP coordinators are field-experienced in rappelling, helicopter operations, chainsaw use, pesticide use, animal control, fence construction, and extreme hiking and camping. We are also personally and professionally committed to do what we can to preserve our biological legacy for future generations.
Last year, the PEP Program and its conservation partners implemented protection actions for 107 federally listed Endangered and Threatened plant species, 21 Candidate species, and 24 Species of Concern. Generally, the PEP Program and its partners implement the highest priority recovery actions identified in endangered plant recovery plans and in the State of Hawai`i’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, October 2005. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and other botanical experts of the Hawai`i Rare Plant Restoration Group (HRPRG) provide oversight for the program. The HRPRG, which conceived and developed the PEP Program, is a consortium of over 35 conservation agencies and organizations and private landowners. To conduct highly sensitive work on endangered species, we hold all necessary federal and state collection permits.
Want to know more about what we do? Click here!
If you would like more info about Hawaii's PEP Program, please contact the Statewide PEP Coordinator: Joan Yoshioka, 808-974-4388,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
*This site is still under construction, more exciting PEP information on the way!*
