Nicholas deLaveaga

Ms. Terry

Senior Seminar

21 November 2018

Conservation and its Importance to the Hawaiian Islands

In Hawaii, life is all around us. From the smallest insects to the largest trees, life

surrounds us in every direction. However, in our day to day lives, this important piece of

information can be difficult to remember, and as a result, most people tend to forget this fact

altogether. We spend so much time wrapped up in our own lives that we sometimes even forget

what we’re actually standing on. Our islands are lush and beautiful, but their native ecosystems

are being threatened by invasive species brought here from other lands. Slowly but surely,

many of our island’s endemic species are dying off, either due to the shrinking of their food

supply or the loss of their natural habitat. If nothing is done soon, many of the native plants and

animal species might even face extinction. This is why it is so important to remember the

relevance of conservation here in Hawaii and how it can affect our very own survival. It is for this

reason that the people of Hawaii should consider the conservation of its native ecosystems

absolutely essential as they are not only keeping our watersheds intact, but Hawaii's natural

water supply stable and continuous as well.

The natural ecosystems of Hawaii play a huge role in protecting the native plantlife and

wildlife that inhabit the islands. And while this information may be somewhat obvious and

repetitive, it bears repeating, as many of us tend to forget that we humans are not the only

things that live on the islands of Hawaii. The protection and wellbeing of these native species
holds great importance as they are few and far between. This is why the ecosystems they live in

should be considered so as well, as without them, many rare and endangered species would

cease to exist. This is where conservation comes into play. To put it simply, conservation is the

act of teaching and practicing the proper use of nature; finding a way that both man and wild

can coexist peacefully. This is what conservation seeks to achieve. With conservation, we can

form our islands into a place where the native species of Hawaii will no long face the threat of

extinction and a place where we can still live our lives without conflict. Removal of invasive

species, reconstruction of native forests, planting more native trees in urban areas can all be

ways to contribute to the goal of conservation. Even though these actions may appear small and

insignificant, they make a huge impact when combined together via the efforts of Hawaii’s

people. While there are organizations that work towards the effort conservation on Hawaii, the

threat of extinction for our native species is simply too widespread. Awareness is the greatest

strength of conservation. The more the people of Hawaii lend themselves to the effort of

conservation, the stronger and more prominent said effort becomes. Again, while this may seem

apparent, like it or not we all live on the same islands and we all need them to survive for the

good of not only the native species but also our future generations as well.

Now the average person might be thinking: “Why should I care about some random trees

and some dumb animals? They don’t affect me or my life, so why should I dedicate my time to

helping them?” And for that, I have one word to answer: Watersheds. For those who may not

know, a watershed is an area of land, such as a mountain or valley, that funnels rainwater into a

common outlet. Our island’s watersheds drain fresh rainwater into underground reservoirs

called aquifers. These aquifers act as a sort of sponge, holding the fresh water until it is either

absorbed by the native plant life or harnessed by humans for drinking purposes. This method of
extracting fresh water is currently the cheapest and most efficient way of obtaining drinking

water in Hawaii. However, If our native ecosystem becomes compromised by invasive plants

and animals it could potentially ruin the watersheds. A critical component of our watershed’s

ability to collect rainwater is the existence of the native ecosystems that surround them. Fog

condensing on trees high up in watershed areas can increase rainfall collection and absorption

by a drastic amount. If our watersheds were to become overrun with invasive species, it would

ruin the watershed’s ability to collect water effectively. This would cause our local aquifers to

either dry up from lack of rainwater or become contaminated by the invasive species around the

area. This, in turn, would make fresh drinking water incredibly expensive as we would either

need to ship it here from the mainland or harness it via reverse osmosis from the ocean. This

process is incredibly expensive and would most likely hike the price of fresh drinking water up

by quite a bit. As a consumer and avid drinker of water, it would be in your best interest

financially to promote the protection of our native ecosystems and by extent our water supply.

In short, keeping our native ecosystems alive and healthy is incredibly beneficial for both

keeping our drinking water fresh and continuous as well as keeping our water bills low and our

wallets full.

In the end, it is clear to see why conservation remains one of the most important topics

on the islands of Hawaii. Our native ecosystems dictate so much of our lives without us even

taking notice, yet they are still under constant threat from invasive species and habitat

destruction. This is why I feel that the conservation of Hawaii's native ecosystems should be

considered absolutely essential as they are not only keeping the Hawaiian watersheds intact,

but Hawaii's natural water supply stable and continuous as well. The survivability and livelihood

of future generations here in Hawaii is dependent upon ecological education. It is extremely

important to inspire, train, and engage those around us so that they may join in and accelerate

the restoration of Hawaii’s native ecosystems as well. After all, what could be better than the

feeling of happiness you get from contributing your time and effort to both your community and

the island on which you live.