Jef Vizentin-Bugoni
Hawaii s Oahu island is one of the most disturbed ecosystems in the world. Non-native plants that stowed away on ships or were brought to the island by early settlers for lawns and gardens have now nearly wiped out native plants. If you go to most places in Hawaii, with the exception of some high elevation areas and Kauaʻi and the Big Island, you re going to stand in this forest and say, Look at that, this beautiful tropical forest, said Corey Tarwater, a University of Wyoming Assistant Professor in the department of zoology and physiology. The chances are, there s not one native plant around you. That it s all invasive plants that have been brought over for one reason or the other.