The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing critical habitat for 12 species, all found only on Hawaiʻi island. The Service has also determined that critical habitat was not prudent for two additional species. All 14 species are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Approximately 122, 277 acres of federal, state, private, and public lands are being proposed as critical habitat for 12 species, meaning these areas have been identified as essential for the conservation of one or more of the species for which critical habitat is being proposed. Designating critical habitat for the loulu palm (Pritchardia lanigera) and ʻopāe pond shrimp (Vetericaris chaceorum) is considered not prudent due to concerns of potential overharvesting in the wild. The Service will hold a virtual public informational meeting and hearing on the proposal on April 20, 2023.

Of the 14 species addressed in the proposal, 12 are plants, one is a picture-wing fly, and one is a shrimp that lives in anchialine pools (enclosed water bodies or pools with an underground connection to the ocean). The proposed critical habitat occurs across five ecosystems on the island of Hawaiʻi: mesic forest, mesic grasslands and shrublands, wet forest, wet grasslands and shrublands, coastal, and dry forest. Each species faces threats of habitat loss and degradation by introduced ungulates, fire, drought, as well as habitat-modifying invasive plants and predation from non-native insects.

“We grouped these 12 species in this proposed designation based on their interconnectedness and reliance on ecosystems found only on the island of Hawaiʻi,” said Lasha-Lynn Salbosa, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office listing and classification manager.

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