Mānoa: Study debunks myth of Native Hawaiians causing bird extinctions

A new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa challenges a long-standing scientific narrative about the decline of Hawaiʻi’s native waterbirds, finding no evidence that Native Hawaiians hunted the species to extinction.

The research, published in the scientific journal Ecosphere, re-examined existing literature on possible extinction times and concluded that waterbird declines were more likely driven by a combination of climate shifts, invasive species and changes in land use.

According to the study, of the 18 extinct waterbird species evaluated in the study, a majority were last observed either prior to Polynesian arrival or after European arrival, based on existing fossil records.

“So much of science is biased by the notion that humans are inevitable agents of ecocide, and we destroy nature wherever we go,” said Kawika Winter, associate professor at Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and co-author of the paper. “This idea has shaped the dominant narrative in conservation, which automatically places the blame for extinctions on the first people—the Indigenous People—of a place. Even where there is zero scientific evidence to support it, the myth of Hawaiians hunting birds to extinctions took root in Hawaiʻi and for decades has been taught as if it was a scientific fact.”

The study took an interdisciplinary approach to reassess historical explanations for species loss. Lead author Kristen Harmon, who recently completed her doctoral work at UH Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, said revisiting historical ecology is critical to solving ecological problems.

“Science has matured to a point where graduate students are being trained to challenge its own long-standing world view,” Harmon said. “Bringing together information from different disciplines and knowledge systems can yield a more accurate picture of reality, which is ultimately the goal of every scientist.”

Authors said the study is expected to help inform current and future conservation efforts, particularly for endangered waterbirds such as the ʻalae ʻula (Hawaiian gallinule) and ʻaeʻo (Hawaiian stilt).

“Recent studies support what Hawaiians have always known—that restoration of loʻi (wetland agro-ecosystems) is critically important to bring these waterbirds into abundance again,” said Melissa Price, an Associate Professor who runs the Wildlife Ecology Lab at CTAHR. “If we wish to transform our islands from the ‘Extinction Capital of the World’ into the ‘Recovery Capital of the World’ we need to restore relationships between nature and communities.”

The scientific conclusions might also be a step toward mending generational disagreements in the community.

Ulalia Woodside Lee, who was not a part of this research project, offered some reflections as the Hawai‘i and Palmyra executive director for The Nature Conservancy:

“For generations, Native Hawaiians have been criticized for causing the extinctions of our precious native birds,” she said. “This has contributed to a breakdown in trust between the Hawaiian community and conservationists, and the exclusion of Native Hawaiians from important conservation decisions. This study will help us to move past those untruths, so that we can all move together into a brighter future where our native species are thriving again.”