Recovery Efforts for Hawaiian Plants on the Doorstep of Extinction- Lobelia oahuensis & Urera kaalae

The O’ahu Division of Forestry and Wildlife and Plant Extinction Prevention Program selected two critically endangered species to focus recovery efforts on from 2020-present, with funding from the US Fish and Wildlife. Lobelia oahuensis is a monocarpic, rosette-forming member of the Campanulaceae that is narrowly endemic to the wet forests and shrublands of the highest peaks of O’ahu with fewer than 20 wild individuals. Ōpuhe, Urera kaalae, Urticaceae, is locally endemic to the mesic, talus-lined gulches of the Wai’anae Mountains of O’ahu. There are currently no remaining wild mature individuals of this species. Habitats for both species have been significantly affected by invasive species such as feral ungulates, rodents, slugs, and non-native plant species. Large-scale recovery actions such as large reintroduction numbers paired with a suite of threat control methodologies had not been previously attempted. The extreme rarity of many Hawaiian plant taxa will require similarly substantial efforts to maintain a presence in the ecosystem.