Specifications include, but are not limited to: The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife has the statutory authority to manage wildlife resources in the State of Hawaiʻi for the public trust, in compliance with state and federal laws. Habitat loss and habitat alteration, the introduction of non-native species, direct human uses, and a changing climate, have resulted in dramatic declines in Hawaiian invertebrates. The likelihood that a given species will persist varies depending on the severity of the threats it faces, its inherent adaptability and resilience, and more recently, the management actions that can be implemented by resource managers to support its survival. This project is fulfilling a critical and urgent need to protect public trust resources. There are over 5,000 described native terrestrial and aquatic invertebrate SGCN in Hawai`i, and it is likely that there are hundreds and perhaps thousands more which remain undescribed. These invertebrates provide integral ecological services: Hawaiian plant species could not exist without the pollination services and nutrient cycling which native invertebrate communities provide, and Hawaiian birds and bats have evolved to depend on native invertebrates for food resources. In addition to sustaining our native biota, invertebrates support healthy native Hawaiian forest structure, which protect watersheds by ensuring erosion control, flood control, recharging water supplies, and sustaining near-shore marine communities. The loss of native invertebrate fauna will ultimately result in the loss of native Hawaiian forest species and many essential ecosystem functions. Conservation and management efforts which protect native invertebrates inherently protect the native plants and animals which depend upon them in perpetuity.
