Editing Niihau (section)

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Niihau cliffs aerial.jpg|thumb|left|View of the rugged cliffs of windward Ni{{okina}}ihau (the northeastern shore)]]
As an arid island, Ni{{okina}}ihau was barren of trees for centuries – Captain [[James Cook]] reported it treeless in 1778. [[Aubrey Robinson (Hawaii planter)|Aubrey Robinson]], grandfather of current owners Bruce Robinson and Keith Robinson, planted 10,000 trees per year during much of his ownership of the island; Robinson's [[afforestation]] efforts increased rainfall in the dry climate.<ref name="khon2009" /> Island co-owner Keith Robinson, a noted [[conservation movement|conservationist]], preserved and documented many of Ni{{okina}}ihau's natural plant resources. The island is designated as a critical habitat for the ''[[Brighamia insignis|{{okina}}ōlulu]]'', an endemic and endangered species of [[Hawaiian lobelioid]]. ''[[Pritchardia aylmer-robinsonii]]'', a [[Arecaceae|palm]] tree named for Keith Robinson's uncle [[Aylmer Robinson]], is an endangered species native to Ni{{okina}}ihau.

Several bird species thrive on Ni{{okina}}ihau. The largest lakes on the island are [[Hālali{{okina}}i Lake]], [[Halulu Lake]] and [[Nonopapa Lake]].<ref>{{Hawaiian Dictionaries|Nonopapa Lake|HASH93333704227c2989be6a6a|dic=hpn|access-date=September 24, 2010}}</ref> These intermittent [[Sink (geography)|playa]] lakes on the island provide [[wetland]] habitats for the ''[[Hawaiian coot|{{okina}}alae ke{{okina}}oke{{okina}}o]]'' (Hawaiian coot), the ''[[Hawaiian stilt|āe{{okina}}o]]'' (Hawaiian subspecies of Black-necked Stilt), and the ''[[Hawaiian duck|koloa maoli]]'' (Hawaiian duck). The critically endangered [[Hawaiian monk seal]] (''Monachus schauinslandi'') is found in high numbers on Ni{{okina}}ihau's shores. Robinson states that Ni{{okina}}ihau's secluded shoreline offers them a safe haven from habitat encroachments. According to Robinson, conditions there are better than the government refuges of the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]]. When the Robinsons originally purchased Ni{{okina}}ihau, no monk seals were present, because they lived in the northwestern part of the Hawaiian island chain, [[Necker Island (Hawaii)|Necker]] and [[Midway Island|Midway]] islands. They have been relocated to the main Hawaiian island chain by [[NOAA]] fisheries over the past thirty years, and some have found homes on Ni{{okina}}ihau.<ref name="khon2009" /><ref name="TavaKeale1990">{{cite book|last1=Tava|first1=Rerioterai|last2=Keale|first2=Moses K.|title=Niihau: The Traditions of a Hawaiian Island|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0GPxAAAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Mutual Publishing Company|location=Honolulu|oclc=21275453|page=95|isbn=9780935180800}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mooallem |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Mooallem |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/magazine/who-would-kill-a-monk-seal.html |title=Who Would Kill a Monk Seal? |magazine=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |date=May 8, 2013}}</ref>

[[Big game hunting|Big game]] herds, imported from stock on [[Molokai|Moloka{{okina}}i]] Ranch in recent years, roam Ni{{okina}}ihau's forests and flatlands. [[Taurotragus|Eland]] and [[aoudad]] are abundant, along with [[oryx]]es, wild [[boar]]s and feral [[sheep]]. These big game herds provide income from [[Big-game hunter|hunting]] [[safari]] tourism.<ref name="khon2009" />