Critically Endangered Silverswords Native Plant Population Bounces Back in Hawaii

In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the critically endangered Kaʻū silversword is making a comeback as a result of decades of coordinated conservation work and good fortune.

Critically Endangered

The distinctive silver-leafed plants have been reestablished by National Park Service biologists and partner organizations at Kilohana, a high-elevation refuge on the slopes of Mauna Loa.

A few years ago, one of the park's fence workers saw a little plant growing in the stony, dry earth. It was formed like a rosette. It resembled a little "Hina Hina" or silversword.

Even though they are extremely rare, Kaʻū silverswords (Argyroxiphium kauense) have been found in the upper Kahuku Unit of the park, far from any known populations. During follow-up surveys, five more plants were discovered.

That was one of the finest texts she has ever gotten, according to Sierra McDaniel, the natural resources program manager for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The crew is now reintroducing plants at two different locations on Mauna Loa, but the possibility of a third population stoked their enthusiasm.

Protected Areas

While the public cannot enter Kilohana or any of the other isolated protected areas, a new digital story map created by the park tells the tale of arduous work and cross-generational cooperation to safeguard the Kaʻū 'āhinahina and the ecosystems in which the species is known to flourish.

Between 2021 and 2022, park biologists and conservationists planted 152,000 seeds and 330 young silverswords in a safe, fenced location at Kilohana.

The plants have a 97% initial survival rate so far.

According to McDaniel, the fact that Kilohana is gated off prevents invading non-native goats, lambs, and pigs from entering and consuming the Hina Hina, which is why the initial rate of survival is so high. The best ally in preserving indigenous habitats and flora is a fence, Big Island Now reports.

Native Plant: Kaʻū Silversword

Because foraging ungulates love to eat them, the magnificent Kaʻū silversword, a native of Hawaii, is fighting an uphill battle to survive. However, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park's resource management is making unceasing efforts to safeguard what is left of these plants. The recovery of the Mauna Loa silversword is currently well underway thanks to the installation of kilometers of fence and the diligent work of resource managers, who cross-pollinate wild plants, collect their seeds, and nurture them in secure greenhouses.

The National Park Service says that the future of the Kaʻū silversword is looking more optimistic because of the planting of approximately 20,000 saplings in park-protected areas. To ensure the long-term survival of this extraordinary species, the actions of the national park staff and resource management are crucial.

The Paradise Island, Hawaii

Thousands of species unique to the planet only exist in Hawai'i.

The result was something amazing as barren land was shoved up from the sea and clothed with intricate and distinctive ecosystems. Some of the planet's most dynamic and diversified ecosystems may be found on the Hawaiian Islands. Flowering plants came to the Hawaiian Islands once every 105,000 years during a period of 32 million years. The Hawaiian Ecosystem states that 90 percent of the native Hawaiian plants are endemic, or found only in Hawaii, and not elsewhere on Earth.