#avian malaria

Hawai‘i’s Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that a project to control mosquitos to protect endangered birds on Maui can continue. The court sided with Hawai‘i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources and the American Bird Conservancy, represented by the Center for Biological Diversity of Hawaiʻi, and found that the proposed mosquito control project would have no significant harm.

Wildfire recovery, the cancellation of the Maui Fair, housing solutions, and election highlights are among the stories that made our list of top features this year. Here’s a recap of some of Maui’s biggest stories in 2024.

Conservationists on Kauaʻi have started aerial applications of the larvicide Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis or BTi, in an effort to suppress populations of the species of mosquito that carries avian malaria. Similar applications are scheduled to begin on Maui after the first of the year. It’s part of the broader effort to save near-extinct populations of honeycreepers like ʻakikiki in native forests.

The US National Science Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation have announced a $644,758 grant to the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project to support on-the-ground efforts in its battle against avian malaria.

When a group of men hiked into a remote mountain valley in April, they knew it could be the last time they saw an ‘akikiki in the wild, according to an update provided by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The environmental nonprofit Hawai‘i Unites has filed an appeal for their case against the State of Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Land and Natural Resources to stop the release of mosquitoes in East Maui and require an environmental impact statement and comprehensive studies of the risks of the project.

At Haleakalā National Park yesterday, the Director of Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and conservationists involved in Birds, Not Mosquitoes, shed light on the ongoing project to save native birds on East Maui. 

A judge has granted summary judgment in favor of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), thwarting efforts by an advocacy group to restrain the use of the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to control mosquito born avian malaria on East Maui.

Nearly two years after conservationists believed all seven kiwikiu birds translocated to the Nakula Natural Area Reserve on Maui had died, a single honeycreeper from the group was located and confirmed to be alive.

Only five of the native Hawaiian honeycreeper species, ʻakikiki, are left in the wild and chances of saving them are growing increasingly dire by the day, according to state officials. This revelation was shared by Justin Hite of the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project during a community open house Tuesday evening. 

The NPS will use an incompatible insect technique (IIT) which consists of repeatedly releasing incompatible male mosquitoes into the wild to reduce the reproductive potential of female mosquitoes in the project area. 

Of the eight remaining forest bird species on Kaua‘i, two face imminent extinction. The ‘akikiki and ‘akeke‘e, are threatened by mosquito-borne avian malaria.

A sign waving rally was held Saturday in Kahului, asking the state to complete a full Environmental Impact Statement for their planned “Mosquito Control Research Using Wolbachia-based Incompatible Insect Technique” project.

Haleakalā National Park is seeking public input on an environmental assessment for the “Suppression of Non-native Mosquito Populations to Address the Impacts of Avian Malaria on Threatened and Endangered Forest Birds on Maui.” The assessment will determine the impacts of using a new technique to manage mosquitoes in East Maui.

“Leading up to the eventual release of incompatible male mosquitoes in areas where they are spreading avian malaria and killing native forest birds, we need to monitor the success and movement of mosquitoes,” said Dr. Hanna Mounce, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project coordinator.

On Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island, mosquito trapping surveys now have a sense of urgency, with three species of honeycreepers (‘akikiki, ‘akeke‘e, kiwikiu) on the precipice of extinction in the wild in under five years.

A critically endangered ‘akikiki was transported from a deep valley in the Alaka‘i Plateau on Kauaʻi to the Maui Bird Conservation Center this morning.

In the remote central mountains of Kauaʻi, a bird rescue team is searching for Abby and Carrot, two critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers, the ʻakikiki.

A new extinction study finds that some species of Native Hawaiian honeycreeper birds could vanish in two years if they become victims of avian malaria.

Haleakalā National Park is hosting a public scoping meeting Jan. 6 about a proposed Environmental Assessment for the suppression of non-native mosquito populations to address the impacts of avian malaria on threatened and endangered forest birds on Maui.