Facts about Hawaii’s Watersheds
For all their biological richness, these forests are among the most endangered in the world. Hawai’i has already lost half of its natural forest cover. Currently, more than one third of the plants and birds on the U.S. Endangered Species List are from Hawaiʻi. When spiders, snails, and insects are included, nearly 60% of Hawaii’s total native flora and fauna is endangered, by far the highest percentage of any state.
Destruction and the loss of forest habitat are the primary causes of species decline.
East Maui Watershed Facts
East Maui Watershed Partnership was the first of it’s kind in the State formed in 1991
EMWP land area= approx. 100,000acres
Area of existing fenced managed units=40,880acres
Of that 40,880 fenced acres:
- EMWP Manages 12,000acres
- Natural Area Reserve Manages 1,700Acres
- Haleakalā National Park Manages 26,500acres
- Haleakalā Ranch manages 680acres
Number of Rare Plants=24
- 6 of which are Federally listed as endangered or threatened
Number of Native Birds=13
- 7 are rare, 12 are endemic, 1 is indigenous
Total value of a single Hawaiian Watershed = $7.4-14 Billion. (Based on 1999 study the University of Hawaii did on the Koʻolau Mountain Forest)
Over 90% of plants native to Hawaii are Endemic (existing nowhere else in the world)
1 Native Land Mammal = Hoary Bat
No Native Terrestrial Reptiles
From 260 presumed original colonists 1,100 native flowering plants have formed
One species SUCCESSFULLY colonized the island about once every 10,000-20,000 years
Today approx. 30 new species are introduced every year
The passage of a water droplet from mountain-top to aquifer takes roughly 25 years.
Click here to read the 2010 Hawaii Statewide Assessment of Forest Conditions and Resource Strategy
