Editing Hawaiian Islands (section)

==Ecology==
{{See also|Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands|List of animal species introduced to the Hawaiian Islands|List of invasive plant species in Hawaii}}

The islands are home to a multitude of [[endemism|endemic]] species. Since human settlement, first by [[Polynesians]], non native trees, plants, and animals were introduced. These included species such as rats and pigs, that have preyed on native birds and invertebrates that initially evolved in the absence of such predators. The growing population of humans, especially through European and American colonization and development, has also led to [[deforestation]], [[forest degradation]], treeless grasslands, and [[environmental degradation]].<ref name="Shih 2019">{{cite thesis|last=Shih|first=Ashanti Ke Ming|title=Invasive Ecologies: Science and Settler Colonialism in Twentieth-Century Hawai'i|degree=PhD|date=December 2019|via=ProQuest|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/bd612ff460936a2025f6fe8f5b09b020/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y|access-date=May 8, 2024}}</ref> As a result, many species which depended on forest habitats and food became extinct—with many current species facing extinction. As humans cleared land for farming with the importation of industrialized farming practices through European and American encroachment, [[Monoculture|monocultural crop production]] replaced [[Polyculture|multi-species systems]].<ref name="Shih 2019"/>
[[File:Molokai Creeper.jpg|thumb|'I'iwi (''Drepanis coccinea'') and other endemic species have been heavily impacted by human activity, such as invasive species and habitat loss]]
The arrival of the [[Ethnic groups in Europe|Europeans]] had a more significant impact, with the promotion of large-scale single-species export agriculture and livestock grazing. This led to increased clearing of forests, and the development of towns, adding many more species to the [[list of extinct animals of the Hawaiian Islands]]. {{As of|2009}}, many of the remaining endemic species are considered [[Endangered species|endangered]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands|editor=Craig R. Elevitch|editor2=Kim M. Wilkinson|url=http://www.agroforestry.net/afg/|isbn=0-9702544-0-7|publisher=Permanent Agriculture Resources|year=2000|access-date=September 26, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060112211047/http://www.agroforestry.net/afg/|archive-date=January 12, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>