Synopsis: There are many negative impacts of the albizia tree species on Hawaii’s native flora and fauna on Oahu. While focusing on ways to preserve and protect Hawaii’s native plants, we discuss current solutions for preventing the future growth of this invasive plant species.
Aloha mai kākou. E kākau ana mākou e pili ana i ka lā‘au Albizia ma ko Hawai‘i pae ‘āina. Ua koho ‘ia kēia kumuhana no ka mea, he lā‘au weliweli nui loa ia i lawe ‘ia i Hawai‘i nei mai kekahi ‘āina ‘ē mai. A ua ‘ikea ho‘i ka hopena ‘ino o ia lā‘au. ‘A‘ole nō a he wā, make nā lā‘au ‘ōiwi a me nā holoholona. A eia hou, e hā‘ule wale nō nā lālā mai ke kumu mai a kau ma luna o nā hale a me nā ka‘a. ‘O ia mau mea ke pohō ke pā i nā lālā. E mau ana na‘e ka Albizia me ka laha aku mai ‘ō a ‘ō. Inā he kanaka ko lalo o kahi lālā nui, he kū nō i ka weliweli. E aho kona ‘ula‘a ‘ia a hemo, a he nani hemo ‘ana nō ia o pilikia auane‘i ka ‘āina. No laila, e kākau ana mākou i kahi mana‘o no ka ho‘oponopono ‘ana i ka pilikia nui o Hawai‘i i ka lā‘au albizia.
Hō‘ea maila ka Albizia mai ‘Inidonesia mai i ka makahiki 1904. ‘O Joseph Rock kai lawe i ia lā‘au i Hawai‘i nei. He kanaka kālailau nahele kaulana ‘o ia i kēlā wā. ‘O ka mana‘o ona, i lawe ‘ia mai nā lā‘au e kōkua ai i ka ulu ‘ana o nā ulu lā‘au nāna e ho‘ēmi i ka ‘a‘aiawā ‘ia o ka ‘āina ma muli o ka ho‘ohuli pipi ‘ana, ke kua ‘ana i nā lā‘au ‘ōiwi, a me ka mahi‘ai ‘ana. Hākālia nō a hiolo ka mahi kō, ua ho‘opuehu ‘ia nā hua kanu e ka makani a ulu i loko o ka lepo momona ‘ole. He ulu ‘āwīwī ka Albizia a e hā‘ule wale ho‘i i lalo ke nui ka makani. Eia ho‘i, ‘o ka lā‘au ulu wale i ka lepo i he‘eaholo ‘ia kona wai a me ka momona o ka lepo, e ho‘omake ‘o ia i nā mea kanu maoli. He ho‘opanalā‘au nō ho‘i kēia lā‘au haole i ka ‘āina. He kū nō a ka lōlō kona lawe ‘ia mai!
Ke hō‘ea mai kahi lā‘au hou i ko kākou ‘āina, e nānā aku kākou i kona pono a me ka ‘ole no ko kākou ‘āina. He mea nui ka nānā ‘ana i ka pono o kona pilina me nā mea ‘ōiwi e ulu nei. ‘O ia nō ke aloha ‘āina. Hākālia nō a kanu ‘ia ka Albizia, ulu nui ia me ka wikiwiki ho‘i. Nui nā pilikia o kākou ma Hawai‘i nei ma muli o kēia lā‘au. Ua pilikia ka ‘ōhi‘a lehua ma Hawai‘i mokupuni. He lā‘au maoli ia no Hawai‘i nei, a no laila, na kākou nō ia e mālama. ‘A‘ohe nō a he wā, ulu a‘ela ka Albizia a ‘a‘ole maopopo i nā kānaka Hawai‘i ka mālama ‘ana i ia lā‘au me ka ho‘opilikia ‘ole i nā lā‘au ‘ōiwi. ‘O ke emi loa ia o ka ‘ōhi‘a lehua. I nalowale ka ‘ōhi‘a lehua, nui ana nā pilikia like ‘ole. Pilikia nā manu maoli, e la‘a nā ‘apapane, ‘i‘iwi, a me nā ‘akohekohe. No ka mea, he ‘ai ua mau manu nei i kēlā lā‘au. E maka‘ala kākou i ka Albizia o pilikia ko kākou ‘āina aloha nei.
‘A‘ohe wahi mea ma‘alahi o ka wehe ‘ana i ka Albizia ma muli o kona nui. He mau hui ko nā moku nāna e kāohi i nā lā‘au haipilikia, e like me ka BIISC, a me nā hui ho‘ona‘auao lā‘au, e like me ka HISC a me ke KWMP. A‘o mai ia mau hui i ka po‘e i nā hana e mālama ai i ka ‘āina, i mea e kāohi ai i ka laha o ka Albizia. I ka manawa i kākau ‘ia ai kēia ‘atikala, ‘a‘ohe kānāwai e pili ana i ke kanu ‘ana i kēia kumu lā‘au ma ka pae ‘āina o Hawai‘i. Akā na‘e, ke hāpai ‘ia nei kekahi pila ma ka ‘Aha ‘ōlelo e paipai ana i ka ‘oihana kālepa e ‘imi i mau ‘ano ho‘ohana ‘ana no kēia kumu lā‘au, e la‘a ke kūkulu ‘ana i mau hale no ka po‘e kūloko. ‘O nā haumāna o UH ke alaka‘i nei i ka ‘imi noi‘i no kekahi ala ho‘onui kālā e ho‘ohana ai i ka lā‘au nāwaliwali. E ho‘iho‘i hou mai i ka nani o ka ‘āina me nā lā‘au kama‘āina, e kāko‘o ‘ia ka hemo ‘ana o ia kumu lā‘au pilikia nui, ‘o ka Albizia.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
