Posted on: Monday, April 4, 2005

State to catalog native species

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has a six-month deadline to complete an ambitious project, a statewide strategy that outlines what is known about Hawai'i's native wildlife and identifies what's needed and how to do it.

The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, which must be completed by Oct. 1, is mandated by Congress if states hope to receive money under the State Wildlife Grant Program. The strategy is to be updated at least every 10 years.

One of the concerns of wildlife managers is that much of the conservation work being performed in the state is done on a crisis-management basis — like spending large sums of money trying to save critically endangered forest birds. It is not clear that kind of response is always the best way to spend limited resources.

The project hopes to list native species of all kinds — plants, birds, insects and others — and to rank them to identify those in the greatest need of help.

The Hawai'i land department is researching existing data, but is also asking the public to participate — both to provide information about species and to make recommendations about strategies. One goal is to identify partnerships that can help improve response to help species.

There will be meetings and workshops, starting with a series of statewide sessions in late May, said Christen Mitchell, the state's project coordinator for the program.

As information is developed, it will be published online at www.dofaw.net/cwcs. The Web site is operating and has a considerable bank of information already available.

"The Web site is going to be the primary means of providing information" as it develops, Mitchell said.

For specific information, to identify existing plans or sources of information, or to make recommendations, e-mail wildlife.strategy@hawaii.gov, or call Mitchell or project planner Christine Ogura at (808) 587-0051.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.