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RESEARCH HAS SHOWN:
In Hawai‘i, habitat destruction has been found to be the most important factor in species loss.
Alien species comprise nearly all of the vertebrates and most of the plants and insect enocountered throughout most of the lowland areas of the Hawaiian islands.
Unfortunately, due to both the isolation of the islands and the native biota’s unique evolutionary history, Hawaiian island ecosystems lack much of the resilience that characterizes continental systems.
Native plants and animals are vulnerable to habitat destruction, and to displacement by the invasion of alien species. Alien species have been shown to affect ecosystem function, community structure and population dynamics. Such ecosystem level changes can directly effect the health of the native ecosystem and its components.