Challenges and Opportunities for Hawaiian Forest Birds in the 21st Century: A PICCC Story Map

Posted on October 28, 2015

Hawai`i Endangered Species (Credit: Marian Berger)

In Hawai`i, forest birds have long been treasured as a symbol of the spectacular and exceptional ecosystem found only here. Their colorful feathers and birdsong have dotted the forests across the main Hawaiian Islands. The feathers of forest birds were used to adorn the ornate and lavish ceremonial clothing of Hawai`i’s royalty. Forest birds […]

NOAA declares third ever global bleaching event

Posted on October 12, 2015

by PICCC

(Infographic credit: NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program) Although corals can recover from mild bleaching, severe or long-term bleaching can be deadly. After corals die, reefs quickly degrade and the structures corals build erode. This provides less shoreline protection from storms and fewer habitats for fish and other marine life.

News from NOAA indicates that the same record ocean temperatures that are causing widespread bleaching in Hawai`i are expanding into the Caribbean, threatening coral in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This has prompted them to issue a declaration of the third global coral bleaching event ever on record. According to Mark Eakin, NOAA’s […]