The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has reached a milestone: its received official accreditation from Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), the world鈥檚 largest plant conservation network. This acclaimed recognition underscores the garden鈥檚 exceptional contributions to conservation, research and education, solidifying its place among the most esteemed botanical collections globally.

The journey began with a single pine tree planted by Don Hemmes, a 东精影业 Hilo professor emeritus, to help a student grasp the tree鈥檚 structure. What started as a teaching aid evolved into a vibrant botanical haven, showcasing an impressive variety of plants, including cycads, palms and bromeliads from across the globe.

“This accreditation is a testament to the passion and dedication of our volunteers,” said Robert Talbert, a key contributor to the project who oversees volunteers at the garden. “It showcases the importance of protecting these extraordinary plants.”

Conservation champions

Volunteers have invested countless hours to bring this dream to fruition. One of their most significant achievements is the development of the garden鈥檚 cycad collection, which represents more than 33% of the world鈥檚 cycad species. Cycads are ancient palm-like plants. With nearly 70% of these species threatened with extinction, the collection serves as a critical resource for global conservation efforts. Volunteers meticulously identified and cataloged 582 cycad plants, linking the collection to BGCI鈥檚 global Plant Search database.

Achieving accreditation was no small feat. The process demanded a rigorous application, a strategic plan, and comprehensive documentation of the garden鈥檚 conservation efforts.

More help wanted

To volunteer or visit, contact Hemmes at hemmes@hawaii.edu or Talbert at rob@roberttalbert.com. More information can also be found on Facebook: .

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 Seed Conservation Laboratory has been internationally recognized for its critical work in preserving Hawaiʻi鈥檚 most endangered plant species.

The lab, represented by manager Nate Kingsley, received top honors at the 8th Global Botanic Garden Congress in Singapore for conserving the greatest proportion of threatened species. Working with partners including the Hawaiʻi Plant Extinction Prevention Program and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the laboratory has banked more than 33 million seeds representing more than 300 threatened and endangered plant taxa across 55 families.

Back from extinction

Of particular significance recognized by the award was the lab鈥檚 work with Cyanea pinnatifida, an endemic plant species declared extinct in the wild in 2001. The wild population had been reduced to a single individual in the Waiʻanae Mountains before seeds were brought into the lab. Through meticulous seed collection and preservation efforts, researchers have banked more than 40,000 seeds between 2007 and 2022. These efforts have enabled collaborative restoration projects that have reintroduced and established plants in multiple protected sites on Oʻahu. Despite ongoing challenges from invasive species and climate change, some sites are showing signs of natural regeneration.

“This international recognition underscores the critical importance of preserving Hawaiʻi鈥檚 extraordinary and fragile native plant biodiversity, which represents some of the most unique and endangered flora on Earth,” said Lyon Arboretum Interim Director Donald Drake. “By banking seeds of species like Cyanea pinnatifida and working closely with conservation partners, we are not just protecting plants, but safeguarding the ecological heritage that defines our islands and sustains the delicate environmental balance that makes Hawaiʻi home.”

The Seed Conservation Lab is one of three storage and propagation facilities that are part of Lyon鈥檚 (HRPP). Since 1992, HRPP has focused on the rescue and recovery of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 most critically endangered native plants.

The Seed Conservation Lab is currently undergoing a complete renovation, which will significantly increase its capacity to conserve native Hawaiian plants. For more information, .

Two University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 women doctoral candidates each earned $10,000 fellowships to support their dissertation research.

Daniela Escontrela Dieguez and Smrity Ramavarapu, both from the , were honored by ., which empowers highly motivated women engaged in academic research in fields that affect women and girls’ quality of life. This is the 13th consecutive year that doctoral candidates from 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 received these fellowships.

Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

Escontrela Dieguez鈥檚 dissertation research focused on corallivores, or animals that consume corals. Through in situ experiments, she tested the coral eating preferences of the Hawaiian cushion sea star, which is abundant along O驶ahu鈥檚 southern coral reefs. She also collaborated with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a method to extract corallivory estimates from 3D models of coral reefs and then leveraged the data to understand patterns and drivers of corallivory around the island of Oʻahu. She hopes the data and tools can be used by coral reef managers in Hawaiʻi to both monitor corallivory and inform coral conservation and restoration initiatives.

“The Soroptimist Fellowship provided me the opportunity to focus entirely on data analysis and writing while freeing me from the daily financial stresses that many of us graduate students face,” said Escontrela Dieguez, who earned her PhD in marine biology.

Since receiving the grant, Escontrela Dieguez has graduated and currently works at the Seattle Aquarium as a research scientist. In her new role, she conducts research to understand the impacts of climate change, overharvesting and water pollution on the species that call the Puget Sound their home.

Smrity Ramavarapu

Ramavarapu is focusing on the need for equitable frameworks to ensure sustainability while preserving cultural integrity. Her dissertation explores the ethical challenges of integrating traditional food systems, particularly those managed by forest-based communities traditionally practicing small-scale fires, into broader efforts to enhance global food system resilience.

“Receiving the Founder Region Fellowship is an incredible honor,” said Ramavarapu, a PhD candidate in botany. “It has provided me the financial support and confidence to continue my work, which I believe has significant implications for both global food security and the preservation of cultural heritage.”

Since 1948, 370 grants totaling nearly $1.8 million have been awarded by the Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship in fields including: clinical psychology, endocrinology, sociology, genetics, immunology, zoology, marine biology, botany, civil engineering, bioengineering, infectious diseases, agricultural policy reform, law, social science and special education.

2025 applications open on November 1

For those interested in applying for the 2025 Founder Region Fellowship, and on November 13 or November 17. Application deadline is January 25, 2025.

Islands are home to nearly one-third of the world鈥檚 plant species, despite covering just 5.3% of the Earth鈥檚 land surface. That鈥檚 according to a , co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 botanist.

An international team of a dozen researchers analyzed data on more than 304,103 vascular (vascular plants are trees, ferns, and flowering plants; non-vascular plants are mosses, and liverworts) plants—essentially all species known to science worldwide. The team found 94,052 species are native to islands, and of these, 63,280 are endemic—found nowhere else in the world. This research provides the first comprehensive assessment of plants native and endemic to islands worldwide.

“This comprehensive study reveals the important role islands play in Earth鈥檚 botanical richness,” said study co-author and 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Professor Emeritus Tom Ranker. “By quantifying the uniqueness of island flora and highlighting its vulnerability, this research underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect these irreplaceable hotspots of plant evolution.”

Large tropical islands such as Madagascar, New Guinea and Borneo lead in endemic species counts, while oceanic archipelagos such as Hawaiʻi boast the highest proportions of endemic flora. Hawaiʻi stands out with 83% of its plant species being endemic to the state. However, individual Hawaiian Islands showed lower single-island endemism, meaning that a large percentage of flora are found on multiple islands in the state. Maui, for instance, has only 14% single-island endemics in its native flora.

Critical conservation needed

The study also highlighted the urgent conservation needs of island plants. Of the island endemics assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 51% are threatened, and 55% of all documented global plant extinctions occurred on islands.

Hawaiʻi faces significant conservation challenges. Its dry forests and other unique habitats are highly endangered. According to the , Hawaiʻi is often referred to as the “Endangered Species Capital of the World.” It said that more than 100 plant taxa have gone extinct, and over 200 are considered to have 50 or fewer individuals remaining in the wild. Officially, 366 of the Hawaiian plant taxa are listed as endangered or threatened, and an additional 48 species are proposed as endangered. While only comprising less than 1% of the U.S. land mass, Hawaiʻi contains 44% of the nation鈥檚 endangered and threatened plant species.

Some examples of plants endemic to Hawaiʻi include:

• , a type of fern endemic to Leʻahi (Diamond Head)
• or “pendant kihi fern,” effectively extinct in the wild, though researchers at the National Tropical Botanical Garden are trying to propagate it
• or “Kokiʻo,” a flowering plant endemic to Molokaʻi
• or “ ʻ颈丑颈ʻ颈丑颈濒补耻腻办别补,” a fern that resembles a four-leaf clover

The study suggests that protected areas alone may be insufficient, calling for integrated approaches including habitat restoration, invasive species removal and ex situ conservation (preservation of biological diversity outside of its natural habitat) programs. Alarmingly, only 6% of islands supporting endemic species currently meet the UN鈥檚 30×30 conservation target.

“Our study underscores the global importance of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 unique plant life. But these botanical treasures are under severe threat, with many species on the brink of extinction,” Ranker said. “Hawaiʻi residents have a special responsibility to protect and restore our native ecosystems, not just for their beauty and cultural significance, but for their irreplaceable contribution to global biodiversity.”

The School of Life Sciences is housed in 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 .

Eight undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 experienced an all-expenses-paid research trip of a lifetime—spending eight weeks in summer 2024 immersed in the Galápagos Islands. They engaged in mentored research via a transformational journey that promoted deep connections to ʻ腻颈苍补 (land/sea), k膩naka (people) communities and m膩lama ʻ腻颈苍补 (stewardship of places and people).

Creighton Litton, professor, (UROP) director, and one of the eight 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 faculty members who designed and implemented the program over the past two years, said, “Mentored research opportunities for undergraduate students is a high impact practice that provides myriad benefits to students, mentors, our campus and our islands as a whole. This is an innovative program—possible via a strong collaboration with the (CDF) in Galápagos, and engagement by multiple faculty from across the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 campus—that provides our students with transformative learning experiences in research science within a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning context.”

More than 80 students applied, and 12 were invited to enroll in a new spring course on island invasion biology to provide a base of knowledge for their mentored research projects. Eight traveled to the Gal谩pagos and four conducted research in Hawaiʻi.

Students developed research proposals in spring 2024 with mentors from 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 and CDF. The collaborative mentorship approach allowed students to develop their research skills while contributing to real-world scientific questions. During the summer, the traveling students were housed at the CDF research station in the Galápagos, where they conducted their research projects focused on island invasion biology.

During the summer experience, students wrote research papers on every aspect of the scientific process, including literature review, data collection and analysis, conclusions and the socioecological implications of their findings. Each student also crafted a personal, contemporary kaʻao (epic story, tale) to document their experiences, from their hua (initial inspiration) to their haʻalele (preparing for the journey) to the huakaʻi (journey) to the hoʻina (reintegration) back into their on- and off-campus communities.

Important invasive species research

Matthew Kahokuloa鈥檚 project involved assessing plant diversity after the reintroduction of giant tortoises on Santa Fé Island.

“Being my first time leaving Hawaiʻi, it was amazing to experience the biodiversity and ecology of another archipelago鈥檚 ecosystem,” Kahokuloa said. “This trip provided me with invaluable field experience, especially in terms of working in remote environments and applying research methods.”

Emily Josefina Velasquez studied the impacts of Caulerpa racemosa (species of edible green alga) on sand dwelling benthic invertebrates (small aquatic animals that live on the bottom of bodies of water) in the Gal谩pagos.

“You couldn鈥檛 walk for 10 minutes without running into a lounging iguana, sea bird, or sea lion, and we were always close to the ocean.” — Nicole Buyukacar

“The Galápagos was a place where my personal growth as an individual thrived and reaffirmed my passion and drive to work in academia,” Velasquez said. “It’s an unforgettable experience. You鈥檙e immersed in your project, living, breathing, and dreaming about it. I was surrounded by scientists from diverse backgrounds, and living and working in an environment where everyone shares a passion for understanding the world around them.”

Nicole Buyukacar鈥檚 project was about the developmental dynamics and temperature sensitivity of the avian vampire fly.

“The most remarkable thing about the town we worked in, Puerto Ayora, was the abundance of wildlife living right there on our doorstep all the time,” Buyukacar said. “You couldn鈥檛 walk for 10 minutes without running into a lounging iguana, sea bird, or sea lion, and we were always close to the ocean. The experience was an incredible blend of learning to integrate academically and socially into a completely different place while constantly being in awe of the natural beauty and learning to understand the reason why it all needs to be protected.”

The students presented their research and kaʻao products at the CDF research station and at the UROP SURE Symposium. Most students are continuing to work with their mentors to produce peer-reviewed journal publications.

This unique opportunity is the result of a collaboration between 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 and CDF and is funded by the National Science Foundation–International Research Experiences for Students ($300,000 grant), the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Provost鈥檚 Office to align the overall program with the campus goal of becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning ($100,000) and the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship ($80,000). The funds will make the program available to 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 undergraduate students for at least the next two years.

For more information, .

—By Marc Arakaki

A team of researchers led by a biology professor at the was recently awarded $1.3 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study genetic changes underlying adaptive evolution in flowering plants in Hawaiʻi, specifically genus Bidens from Hawaiʻi, a Hawaiian flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae.

Matthew Knope, associate professor of biology at 东精影业 Hilo, is the lead principal investigator of “Evolutionary and functional genomics of Hawaiian Bidens: determining the genetic basis of phenotypic trait diversification in a rapid adaptive radiation.” The other principal investigators are Daniel Jones of Auburn University and Christopher Muir of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Their research combines genomics, developmental biology, ecology and physiology to understand how new traits evolve in a rapidly diversifying endemic lineage of flowering plants—koʻokoʻolau (genus Bidens).

The project will generate new genome assemblies and identify the genetic and developmental changes responsible for leaf, fruits, seed and flower trait evolution. The scientists expect to gain insights to the genetic changes responsible for rapid evolutionary diversification in Hawaiʻi and beyond.

This project will offer inter-disciplinary evolutionary training to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, and underrepresented groups, preparing them to contribute to scientific research, education and technological advancements.

“This collaborative research is only made possible by combining the complementary expertise of the three labs involved and the generous support of the National Science Foundation,” said Knope. “It is a great honor to get to work on understanding how our native Hawaiian flora has evolved to be what it is today and to help conserve it into the future.”

The project received a total award of $1,334,718 from the NSF Division of Environmental Biology Core Program on Systematics and Biodiversity Science, and begins in January 2025.

—By Susan Enright

Read more at .

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono visited the University of Hawaiʻi on April 2, for National Native Plant Month, a bi-partisan resolution, led by the senator. 东精影业 President David Lassner joined Hirono for a tour of Lyon鈥檚 Hawaiian Rare Plant Program Greenhouse to see and plant endemic Hawaiian plants.

With the help of Lyon鈥檚 horticulture department, Hirono and Lassner planted ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees in the Native Hawaiian Garden collection.

“In Hawaiʻi, native plants are significant to our state鈥檚 history, culture and environment, and we recognize the importance of preserving our unique biodiversity,” said Hirono. “My resolution to designate April as National Native Plant Month passed in the U.S. Senate, highlighting the importance of native plants in our communities and encouraging people to learn more about the native plants in their own communities.

Don Drake, Lyon鈥檚 interim director shared, “It is really inspirational to see our top political and academic leaders promote the conservation of native Hawaiian plants. Their support sends a strong message about how conservation is everyone驶s responsibility.”

Hirono last visited the arboretum in August 2018, to learn about the work done by the staff and helped to plant a native plant species in the Hawaiian Garden.

The historical biogeography of mind-altering drug plants—such as cannabis, kava, betel nut, ephedra and the opium poppy—are a specialty of a renowned environmental specialist who has served more than 50 years at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补.

Professor Mark Merlin鈥檚 pioneering research interests include exploring how ancient cultures used plants for healing or religious purposes, investigating how humans have changed the environment over time in places such as Hawaiʻi and other tropical Pacific island groups through agriculture or urbanization, and studying how traditional knowledge of plants can help us protect the environment and support sustainability today.

Merlin, who also earned graduate degrees from 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, recalled the many professors with whom he worked and the thousands of students that he taught. For example, he worked with 东精影业 Sea Grant longtime facilitator, the late Peter Rappa, when current 东精影业 President David Lassner was earning his PhD in communication and information sciences. Merlin also taught notable student athletes, including Jim Donovan, former 东精影业 lineman and later athletic director, numerous 东精影业 football athletes who had careers in the NFL, as well as current Rainbow Warrior football coach Timmy Chang. To all of them, as well as to all his students over his years at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, including many teaching assistants who have gone into positions in academia, Merlin says simply, “thank you.”

Spotlighting Hawaiʻi plants

Merlin is proud of his work with a group of scholars to replace continental U.S. ecological examples, such as pine trees and squirrels, used in Pacific regional school textbooks for many years with Hawaiian native examples, including ʻiʻiwi (an endemic species of Hawaiian honeycreeper), ʻ艒丑颈ʻ补 lehua (a keystone tree in Hawaiʻi) and koa (species of large flowering tree native to Hawaiʻi). Merlin is also proud of the two guidebooks that he created in the 1970s called Hawaiian Forest Plants and Hawaiian Coastal Plants used by a large variety of people for more than 45 years.

“These field guides got so many people interested in, first of all, exercise, getting out and hiking,” Merlin said. “Second of all, recognizing native plants versus alien plants, especially distinguishing between benign alien plants and those that have become invasive. And then overall developing interest in conservation and protection of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 unique natural environment and natural history.”

Finding his research passion

Merlin grew up in the Hollywood area. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During his college years as a student, protests around the Vietnam War were prevalent across college campuses, Merlin said, and so was the use of psychoactive substances besides alcohol.

He was invited to apply at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 and offered a graduate teaching position, eventually earning his master鈥檚 and PhD degrees in geography. It was here that he followed his research interest of learning more about plants and the environment.

“I said to myself, if I’m going to spend two years studying for and writing a thesis about something, it better be something interesting. I thought, ‘Back to pot, back to cannabis, back to pakalolo,’” Merlin said. “I started by asking ‘Where did this plant come from? Who started using it? Why did they use it?’ And then I did some research on that and I realized, it’s a super multi-purpose species. So that supported my growing interest in botany, ecology, and ethnobotany, in particular.”

It was this launch pad that inspired Merlin to contribute and foster environmental education and preservation of traditional ecological and ethnobotanical knowledge.

Some of his groundbreaking books, Man and Marijuana (1972), On the Trail of Ancient Opium Poppy (1984), Kava: The Pacific Drug (1992, co-authored) and Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany (2013, co-authored), received critical acclaim. The latter was the co-winner of the Mary Klinger Award for Best Ethnobotany Book by the Society for Ethnobotany. In addition, his more recently co-authored book, Plants and People of the Marshall Islands (2018) was the winner of the Mary Klinger Award.

Merlin also earned numerous honors and accolades, including selection by Gov. George Ariyoshi to serve as an expert environmentalist for a state pesticide committee 1980–88, and a “Lifetime Volunteer Award” (2018) from the Hawaiʻi Nature Center “in appreciation for your many years of dedicated service, devotion and commitment to connecting children and families to nature!”

—By Marc Arakaki

Nearly 90% of flowers used for lei-making are imported to Hawaiʻi, and the decreasing supply of local flowers is having a drastic impact on the lei industry statewide. To address growing concerns from lei-flower growers, makers and vendors, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (CTAHR) has launched a new plumeria collection at the Urban Garden Center.

Students from Kalani High School helped clean up the plot, amend the soil and plant the first rooted cuttings on January 6. The work day was organized through a collaboration between CTAHR and the Lei Poinaʻole Project of BEHawaii, created in response to concerns about the decreasing supply of local flowers.

“This new collection at Urban Garden Center will be very important for the industry because the current supply cannot meet the demand, and because access to flowers and foliage to make lei is very important for the community,” said Alberto Ricordi, a CTAHR assistant extension agent.

CTAHR receives requests from plumeria growers and landscapers who are seeking new varieties and lei groups. This new collection features more than 30 varieties of flowers and foliage. The partnership is meant to help close the gap of local flowers for lei-making in the next five to six years. Collaborations like this will be key for the success of this project.

“We selected varieties considered good for lei, with traits such as long-lasting flowers, thick petals suitable for handling, and attractive scent and color,” said Ricordi.

More community work days and workshops will be offered in the future. Sign up for the . For questions, contact albertoh@hawaii.edu.

Approximately 90 fifth-grade students from Liholiho Elementary School visited the on November 16 to learn about a variety of STEM fields, including life sciences, chemistry, engineering and computer science.

东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 students, faculty and staff led the students through different hands-on activities, ranging from exploring Hawaiʻi鈥檚 limu, exposing objects to extremely cold temperatures, seeing the reactions of chemicals and elements, computer programming and cybersecurity, exploring how a massive concrete canoe is able to float, drone technologies and Formula One style race cars.

“It’s really important for students of all ages to be able to have the opportunity to see how science helps us to understand the world around us. But also that science is a ton of fun,” 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Acting Dean and Associate Dean Alison Sherwood said. “We’re hoping through experiences like the kind that we’re having here today, they’ll be encouraged and inspired to be lifelong learners of science.”

东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Assistant Dean Song K. Choi said, “To expose and engage young minds, we must begin at the onset of education, so the elementary schools, to initiate the curiosity in the STEM, especially engineering, fields and have these students dream, design, ‘make,’ and possibly understand the allowances and limitations of our world to be creative, innovative in problem solving to be a contributing factor to our community and future.”

Riku Sadanaga, a Liholiho Elementary School student, said that the learning experience has motivated him to become a scientist when he grows up.

“The best thing I learned is new Hawaiian words about plants,” Sadanaga said.

“We come from a career perspective because we want to introduce our children to possible careers in the future and one way that we could find was important was to look at education, what kind of research, what kind of opportunities, internships are available so that they can pursue careers,” said Liholiho Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Frederick Magnenat. “This is a really groundbreaking experience and one-of-a-kind.”

—By Marc Arakaki