Help for Hawaii

Many plant and animal species live only in Hawaii. But over time, humans have changed the ecosystem. Farmers brought goats and pigs to the islands for food. But invasive species like these eat the native wildlife. More than 500 Hawaiian plants and animals are at risk of dying out.

Scientists are trying to help. Drones take videos of plants on steep mountains. Biologists climb cliffs to find rare plants. That’s because every species matters in an ecosystem. When one species is lost, it can throw the whole system out of balance.

Lisa Crampton is a bird scientist on the island of Kauai. Her team raises chicks and reintroduces them into the wild. “We work to recover populations,” she says.

Many plant and animal species live only in Hawaii. But over time, humans have changed the ecosystem. Farmers brought goats and pigs to the islands. They brought them for food. But these are invasive species. They eat the native wildlife. More than 500 Hawaiian plants and animals are at risk of dying out. 

Scientists are trying to help. Drones take videos of the plants. They look at plants on steep mountains. Biologists climb cliffs. They look for rare plants. Every species matters in an ecosystem. When one species is lost, it can make a big impact. It can throw the whole system off balance.

Lisa Crampton is a bird scientist. She works on the island of Kauai. Her team raises chicks. They reintroduce them into the wild. “We work to recover populations,” she says.