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Islands in a Far Sea: The Fate of Nature in Hawaii (Latitude 20 Books)

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I bet "Islands in a Far Sea" is the first book published by a taxpayer-supported public university press to call the taxpayers -- or at least the ones ranching on the Big Island -- "juvenile yahoos."
Hawaii Pacific University professor of biology John Culliney lets it all hang out in his updated review of the natural history of "the world's finest natural laboratory for the study of evolution." Subtitled "The Fate of Nature in Hawaii," it makes for gloomy reading.
Although a strong environmentalist, zoologist Culliney at least does not buy into the ohia-hugging claptrap that decorates all too much writing about Hawaii's natural history. Ohia is the native name for Metrosideros polymorpha, the characteristic and unique tree of Hawaiian rain forests.)
Nor does he fall for the PC notion that pre-Contact Hawaiians loved the aina (land) so much that they lived in placid harmony with it. "Humans would shape the nature of the islands far more than they would be shaped by it," Culliney writes. "The nature of Hawaii was far from pristine when the Europeans and Americans began to influence the islands."
Overall, Culliney brings tradewind freshness to a field of writing clogged with sappy romanticism.
He is virtually unique among nature writers -- whether mere enthusiasts or professional ecologists -- in failing to rave about our islands' "rich volcanic soil." "Rich volcanic soil" is a cliche that was originally and accurately used to describe the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily. Hawaiian volcanoes are different, and Hawaii's soil is good for little but to hold plants out of the ocean.
Citing work by Peter Vitousek of Stanford University, Culliney points out that older islands, like fabulously green Kauai, would be scarcely able to support plant life, for lack of phosphorous, if it weren't for dust blown over from the steppes of Central Asia.
But if Culliney casts a more than commonly beady eye on the more inane claims of the greens, he is far from contented with what's been going on here.
Except for humans themselves and their fire, nothing has harmed native plants and animals more than big grazing mammals. And no one group arouses Culliney more than hunters. He calls their contrived arguments to continue, even enhance, the damage "neolithic eco-thinking."
Even real estate developers finish second to hunters in Culliney's rogues' gallery, though not by much.
For a reader wanting a compendious summary of the history and present prospects of Hawaii's natural life, "Islands in a Far Sea" is hard to beat. So much has changed, even in the 18 years since the first edition came out.
Not only have new kinds of assaults on native life been introduced -- noisy coqui frogs from Puerto Rico, for example -- but an enormous amount of fresh research has been published on these already much-studied islands.
The discoveries of unsuspected species of flightless birds -- probably eaten to extinction by the first Polynesians, who found little here in the way of vegetable food -- were just one of a large number of surprises brought to light in recent years.

Islands In A Far Sea: The Fate Of Nature In Hawai'i, by John L. Culliney, is not a trivial, easy to read, shallow review of neat places and critters in Hawai'i. Rather, it is an in-depth, sobering, and comprehensive review of what has been, what is now, and what may be, here in Hawai'i.

The book covers many aspects of the physical and biological world of these "islands in a far sea." Let me just comment on three aspects of Culliney's book.

1. Sea turtles: this is not a book "on" sea turtles. Nevertheless, Culliney dedicates one full chapter to sea turtle and monk seal biology and conservation issues. There are insights in this chapter that were new to me. Again, this was not just a "sea turtles are neat, they lay eggs at French Frigate Shoals, the population is recovering, etc." coverage.

2. Hawaiian tree snails: This chapter is very interesting, and again contained material new to me. I was particularly interested in the genus Achatinella (on O'ahu), its conservation, management, and history, since my ohana was involved in bringing cannibal snails to O'ahu, and I've visited with folk working on these snails on a protected ridge in Makua Valley, tending to the fence protecting their habitat from feral goats and collecting tissue samples for DNA analysis from the snail "feet."

3. The geological history of the islands: Culliney goes beyond just restating the "hotspot" theory of island formation, and goes into detail about what happens after the islands quit "growing."

All in all, this is a readable, scholarly reference book and textbook. All people serious about understanding Hawaiian natural history should read it.

This timely study is a worthy companion to the late Alan Ziegler's authoritative Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution. Where Ziegler deals with the natural history as it developed up to and including the Polynesian settlement of the islands, Culliney focuses on the impacts of human settlement.
At the outset, Culliney sets up the Hawaiian islands as a microcosm of the planet. The picture that results is depressing. At first sight, there is plenty of wilderness left in the islands: remote places like Kaua'i's Alaka'i swamp still harbour their unique plants and birds. The more sober view that emerges is that (some) endemic species hang on to a precarious existence in such places to which they have been driven because these are the only places not (yet) overtaken by human occupation, alien species and the diseases they carry. Encouraging exceptions, such as the development of disease resistance in a few of the remaining honeycreepers, successes in captive breeding of endemic thrushes and the growth of responsible eco-tourism, are dwarfed by the massive environmental vandalism associated with golf courses and the pointless military occupation of the saddle area of the Big Island. Of the main islands, only Moloka'i has steadfastly resisted development, although feral beasts have ravaged its forests and its mountains were not high enough to save any of its spectacular endemic birds from malaria.
In his later chapters Culliney's measured prose turns increasingly bitter, as he exposes the shocking failure of the state government to protect its remaining wild treasures, with feral sheep and pigs left to run amok in deference to the "hunting" lobby. Some steps which might be taken are suggested based on experience in New Zealand, where planting of native species and fencing are mandated in ecologically sensitive areas. Hawaiian politicians please take a trip to New Zealand and learn how responsible stewardship can be attempted, before it is too late.

It took me a while to digest all the scientific evidence, ecology, biology, case studies, arguments, and historical perspective. But once I got comfortable with its presentation, I eagerly read the book during my metro train rides to/from work each day, and I ended up with a tremendously deeper respect for Hawaiian nature as well as a better understanding of how politics and money interact with the future of America's tropical "paradise." It's definitely not a book you can take in all in one sitting (at least for me). But once you've allowed yourself to hear its arguments, you'll come to realize (as the book correctly points out) that Hawaii is indeed a microcosm of the greater United States and even the world. Moreover, the crisis facing Hawaii's nature can easily be extended to the rest of the world.

The book presents each aspect of Hawaii's ecosystems and wildlife both before and after human activities. The author was very careful in establishing scientific evidence and historical accounts/case studies to either back up his arguments or to establish how nature was in the past. It's here where the info can be very dense and difficult to digest, but if you want to know the truth, then you have to invest the time and energy to get the whole story - which Culliney does with unwavering determination.

All in all, it's not often you have a book as thorough, passionate, and uncompromising as this. I think it's a must-read for those who care about the Islands of Aloha and the well-being of its future as well as our own in general.

I was very pleased to receive this book quickly and in such excellent condition for a "used" book. My nephew had requested it as a Christmas present, and he suggested the "used" book option - and he was thrilled that I took his suggestion. It was a great value!