As part of our ongoing coverage of endangered species in Hawaii, we started a topic page on the subject. The page is designed to provide background to help members understand the issue. It will be expanded as we deepen our reporting.

In Hawaii, the expansion of human society into undeveloped areas has put pressure on the ecosystem. The introduction — both deliberately and accidentally — of alien plants and animals has decimated Hawaii’s native plants and creatures.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists 377 different Hawaii species that are endangered. Among the most recognizable is the Hawaiian monk seal. In 2010, Hawaii passed a state law to supplement the Endangered Species Act, making it a felony to deliberately harm a monk seal.

The topic page begins:

Hawaii has been referred to as the “endangered species capital of the world.” The islands’ physical isolation means plants and animals carried here by wind, water and wings have had millenia to evolve into their own unique species found nowhere else on earth. Human encroachment into previously undisturbed habitats has threatened the survival of many of these rare, native species. The U.S. government says 377 species native to Hawaii are endangered.

To learn more about endangered species in Hawaii and share your thoughts about the issue, go the our endangered species discussion.