Ungulate removal & sustained control

Names and classification

Record type

intervention

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Recorded state

Available, active, proposed or context-dependent

Conservation interventions

Action definition

Reduce or eliminate ungulates inside priority areas and lower landscape pressure elsewhere

Mechanism of action

Hunting, staff control and detection/removal methods reduce population below ecological impact thresholds

Prerequisites

Access; detection; removal rate exceeding reproduction; social/legal coordination

Implementation context

Fenced conservation units and broader management areas where control is feasible

Expected outcomes

Reduced browse/rooting/trampling and recovery of native vegetation

Monitoring design

Detection rate; harvest/removal; sign index; vegetation recovery; reinvasion

Unintended consequences

Animal-welfare/social conflict; incomplete removal can allow rapid rebound

Implementation limits

Implementation status, cost and efficacy must be tied to a dated place/program record.

Sources and further reading

• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/kauai/plans/fencing/
• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/files/2025/03/KWA-Detailed-Mgmt-Plan-2012_reduced-size-3.pdf

Connected Atlas records

• Feral ungulate browsing, rooting & trampling · Threats & Conservation