ENDANGERED ISLAND ANATIDS

¹ USGS Biological Resources Division, Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center, Kilauea Field Station, PO Box 44, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718

² New Zealand Department of Conservation, PO Box 743, Invercargill, New Zealand

Endemic waterfowl of island archipelagos provide one of the most dramatic examples of human induced extinctions. Hawaii has lost at least 8 species of waterfowl, with only 3 endangered endemics remaining. New Zealand has lost half of its native waterfowl with 4 of 6 remaining endemic taxa listed as threatened or endangered. Both Hawaii and New Zealand have remnant anatid populations restricted to small oceanic or offshore islands. During the Secretariat for Conservation Biology's 1999 Hawaii-New Zealand Conservation Exchange Program, we compared Laysan Teal (Anas laysanensis) conservation to efforts for the recovery of the Campbell Island Teal (Anas nesiotis). Both species have had their distributions and population numbers significantly restricted since the introduction of predators and competitors to the islands. The Campbell Island Teal was extirpated from Campbell Island, and like the Laysan Teal, is restricted in its natural range to a single small islet. It has recently been established on Codfish Island, a restored, predator-free island outside of the species historical range. Many of the management techniques applied in New Zealand to conserve island waterfowl are applicable to Hawaii. These include predator control, wetland habitat restoration and creation, translocation, temporary release in protected but non-historical habitats, and genetically managed captive breeding to preserve wild-type stock for release.