Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Ms. Terry
Senior Seminar
21 November 2018
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
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
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