Mamane forest decline on Mauna Kea: a reality or myth
- Author:
-
Scowcroft, Paul G.
- Title:
- Mamane forest decline on Mauna Kea: a reality or myth
- Periodical:
- Proceedings, First Conference in Natural Sciences, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Year:
- 1976
- Pages:
- p.187-198
- Subject:
-
Mamane
Mamane-naio forest
Mauna Kea
- Summary:
- Management policy and objectives for the mamane (Sophora chrysophylla)-naio (Myoporum sandwicense) forest on Mauna Kea have been debated with increasing fervor in recent years. The issue in some segments of the populace and scientific community has taken on an emotional flavor. Simply stated the central issue is, "should a huntable population of feral sheep (Ovis aries), i.e. 1000 animals, be maintained on the mountain?" One side answers no. These people believe that feral sheep in huntable numbers are detrimental to native vegetation and in turn to birds, and therefore should not be tolerated. Research to date supports their belief that sheep are a major detriment to the ecosystem. The other side answers yes, 1000 sheep should be maintained because sheep are an important source of meat for their families. They also regard sheep hunting on Mauna Kea as an important part of their cultural heritage. This group expresses the belief that the mamane-naio forest on Mauna Kea is not declining, but is in fact regenerating itself quite well. They point to specific areas which they say were devoid of almost all ground cover 20 years ago, but which today support an abundance of plants including established mamane reproduction. For the past 5 years, the U.S. Forest Service, in cooperation with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, has been conducting research on Mauna Kea to gather quantitative data about changes in vegetation in the mamane-naio forest ecosystem. This paper briefly discusses the preliminary results of a study to determine changes in tree canopy cover and number of trees between 1954 and 1975 using aerial photography. Changes were thought to be correlated with intensity of sheep browsing.
- URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10125/18285
- Collection:
- Monographs