A Hawaiian Tropical Dry Forest Regenerates: Natural Regeneration of Endangered Species under Biocultural Restoration

Reko Libby, Aimee Y. Sato, Lehua Alapai, Wilds Pihanui Brawner, Yvonne Yarber Carter, Keoki Apokolani Carter, Kekaulike Tomich and Tamara Ticktin
Additional contact information
Reko Libby: School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Aimee Y. Sato: School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Lehua Alapai: Ho’ola Ka Makana’ā o Ka‘ūpūlehu, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, O‘okala, HI 96774, USA
Wilds Pihanui Brawner: Aloha ‘Āina, Aloha Ka‘ūpūlehu, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, O‘okala, HI 96774, USA
Yvonne Yarber Carter: Ho’ola Ka Makana’ā o Ka‘ūpūlehu, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, O‘okala, HI 96774, USA
Keoki Apokolani Carter: Ho‘ohele Mea Lā‘au, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, O‘okala, HI 96774, USA
Kekaulike Tomich: Ho’ola Ka Makana’ā o Ka‘ūpūlehu, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, O‘okala, HI 96774, USA
Tamara Ticktin: School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are among the most at-risk ecosystems globally. In Hawai‘i, more than 45% of TDF species are threatened or endangered. Despite decades of active TDF restoration, there remains limited information on the potential for long-term success, since there are few studies of natural regeneration. We assess natural regeneration of endangered plants at Ka‘ūpūlehu dryland forest, a Hawaiian biocultural restoration initiative. Drawing on 6 annual censuses we (1) assess rates and patterns of natural regeneration across species and as a function of rainfall and (2) identify bottlenecks. Our surveys document natural recruits of 11 of the 12 endangered species first outplanted 15–20 years ago. Higher annual rainfall increased the number of new recruits per year and growth, but decreased survival of larger recruits. The total number of natural recruits increased three-fold over the study period and varied across species. For nearly half of the species, we documented a second generation of recruits. Successes appear to be a function of time, including a changing microclimate and adaptive management practices. Remaining bottlenecks include lack of seed dispersal, and seed predation and herbivory by introduced species. The success at Ka‘ūpūlehu highlights the potential for TDF restoration and the value of a biocultural approach.

Keywords: biocultural restoration; Ka‘ūpūlehu; Hawaii; TDF; recruitment; endangered species (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1159/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1159/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1159-:d:729244

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().