Issues
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Feral ungulates[edit]
Grazing and rooting feral deer, goats, and pigs have been destroying native vegetation. They trample the ground and break down the native plants and cause soil erosion. Biodiversity has been compromised and is negatively affecting the groundwater reserve.
Endangered species[edit]
This section is an excerpt from Haleakalā § Endangered species.[edit]
Nēnē[edit]
The nēnē bird is on the endangered species list. The bird was once on all the islands of Hawaii, but now it is only on the Island of Hawai’i, Maui, Moloka’i, and Kaua’i. Habitat loss, hunting, and the introduction of mammals caused the bird population to dwindle. Since 2010, only 2,000 birds were left. These birds were then kept in captivity to increase the population.
Silversword[edit]
This rare species of Silversword is fragile and lives only upon the slopes of Haleakalā.
Haleakalā silversword is a quintessential plant of Haleakalā since it grows nowhere else on Earth. Climate change has been threatening the population of this plant due to hotter temperatures and lower rainfall. The park service has erected fences to prevent damage from local herbivores and from visitors taking the plants as souvenirs.
Forest birds[edit]
Several species of native forest birds across Hawaiʻi are nearly extinct, including the kiwikiu and 'ākohekohe that are found only in East Maui, whose population decreased by more than 70% in the 21st century. A primary threat is mosquito-borne diseases such as avian malaria. Attempts to relocate kiwikiu to higher elevations were unsuccessful in protecting the population, as mosquitos also rose into higher elevation habitats after the 1980s.
The working group "Birds, Not Mosquitos" joined with the National Park Service and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop a plan to address the threat, eventually settling on the incompatible insect technique. As of 2024, each week some 250,000 male southern house mosquitos carrying Wolbachia bacteria were released on the mountain, totaling 10 million by June of that year. When male mosquitos with Wolbachia mate with female mosquitoes, their resulting eggs do not hatch.
Invertebrates[edit]
Haleakalā is also home to many invertebrates including snails, spiders, moths, flies, and many more. Many species including snails live in the rainforest around the mountain. While others live in the subalpine shrubland and the rocky alpine terrain. The Haleakalā flightless moth is endemic to the alpine area at the summit. Many snails including those in the genus Partulina live in the Rainforest. Yellow faced bees known as Nalo Meli Maoli in Hawaiian live in most of the mountain's habitats.
Deferred maintenance[edit]
As of 2018, the Park has deferred maintenance valued at $24,382,236. 49.8% of this number is from unpaved roads. The rest of the deferred maintenance cost range from trails, water systems, buildings, and campgrounds. To help combat this problem the Haleakalā friends group runs monthly service trips. This includes cleaning and scrubbing the cabins, the eradication of thistles, blackberries, and heterothecas. They also work on improving the nene habitat by removing invasive grass.
