Conservation groups in Guam are renewing their calls to action as the last mature specimen of a rare tree has died due to military construction on the island.
What's happening?
A live-fire machine gun range was opened on Ritidian Point in 2023 despite public protests. This involved clear-cutting a pristine limestone forest and left the last håyun lågu tree with only a 100-foot buffer from the elements. Typhoons are commonplace, but other trees can disperse winds. Between higher exposure to strong winds and disease, it was only a matter of time until the håyun lågu tree died.
"I'm absolutely heartbroken by the death of this beautiful tree because it means the species may now be extinct there," said Maxx Phillips, attorney and Pacific Islands director for the Center for Biological Diversity.
On a global scale, Guam faces considerable costs from the effects of the planet's changing climate. Climate damage funding to support its resiliency measures has been slow to arrive, but the need is gaining visibility.
Why is the håyun lågu important?
Guam's coasts are a unique ecosystem housing scores of species found nowhere else on Earth. With native flora dying off, other wildlife is at risk. Conservation group Prutehi Guåhan flagged the Mariana eight-spot butterfly as a species likely to go extinct as a result of the firing range's construction.
In addition to the ecological importance of this area, Indigenous groups have a vested interest as well.
"The Marine Base and the live-fire training range complex essentially guaranteed the death of the last mature Hayun Lagu, the devastation of endangered species, the vulnerability of our aquifer, the desecration of ancestral burials and sacred sites, and contamination of air, soil, and water," Prutehi Guåhan board member Joni Kerr told Pacific Daily News.
What's being done about saving the håyun lågu?
The Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz responsible for the limestone forest clear-cutting hasn't been completely deaf to the issue. It has planted håyun lågu saplings in an effort to repopulate.
Their long-term survival remains in question as the trees are exposed to disease, inclement weather, and invasive species. It will take years until these young trees are mature enough to reproduce. That said, programs like this have been known to be successful, as was the case with the Guam kingfisher.
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While biodiversity in Guam has its challenges, it's possible to support wildlife closer to home in a number of ways. Rewilding your yard can promote needed biodiversity. Larger-scale initiatives like tiny forests can also improve biodiversity in your city.
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