12/6/23 – ONE BEAUTIFUL PLANT HIGHLIGHTS ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY EFFORTS
JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 6, 2023 ONE BEAUTIFUL PLANT HIGHLIGHTS ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY EFFORTS Hawai‘i Plant Extinction Prevention Program Singled Out Nationally Click on photo to view video (HONOLULU) – Its scientific name is Cyanea rivularis. In the mountains of Kaua‘i it produces conical-shaped lavender and white flowers, which like many endangered plant species across the state, are key components to a fully functioning and healthy native ecosystem. As the 50th anniversary of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is celebrated this month, the Endangered Species Coalition chose Hawai‘i’s Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP) as one of 10 outstanding efforts to recognize. This was based on the discovery of a rare plant, Silene lanceolata, discovered by PEPP technician Susan Deans, last year, while rappelling on a remote cliffside. Matt Keir is the DOFAW lead for the PEPP program, which marks its 20th year of existence this year. Continued existence is what it’s all about, as the program’s target list contains more than 260 rare and endangered Hawaiian plants. “We have almost half of all endangered plants in the United States. So, the level of rarity in Hawai‘i is unsurpassed anywhere else in the
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