Drought & changing rainfall

Names and classification

Record type

threat

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Recorded state

Episodic / long-term pattern uncertain by site

Threats and conservation

Pressure source

Climate variability and long-term rainfall change

Exposure pathway

Reduced soil moisture, streamflow/wetland hydroperiod and increased fuel dryness

Consequences

Plant stress/mortality, low flows, wetland contraction and higher fire risk

Affected requirements

Water availability, wetland persistence, native plant survival and fire resistance

Susceptibility

Dry/mesic vegetation, streams, wetlands, agriculture and fire-prone landscapes

Reversibility

Often partly reversible after rainfall recovery; chronic shifts may move ecosystems to new states

Early warning indicators

Rainfall deficit; soil moisture; streamflow; wetland water levels; vegetation stress; fire-danger indices

Conservation interventions

Implementation limits

Magnitude, exposure and trend are not assumed uniform across Kauaʻi; local evidence governs.

Sources and further reading

• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/files/2025/02/FINAL-K-Kauai_CWPP_Dec2024_SIGNED-compressed.pdf
• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/fire/
• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/files/2026/03/FINAL-2025-SWAP.pdf

Connected Atlas records

• Coastal dry shrubland & grassland · Ecosystems
• Lowland dry forest & shrubland · Ecosystems
• Lowland mesic forest & shrubland · Ecosystems
• Montane mesic forest & shrubland · Ecosystems
• Montane bog & dwarf wet shrubland · Ecosystems
• Perennial stream ecosystem · Ecosystems
• Freshwater marsh & palustrine wetland · Ecosystems
• Agricultural & pasture mosaic ecosystem · Ecosystems
• Wetland hydrology restoration & adaptive water management · Threats & Conservation
• Wildfire prevention, fuel management & community preparedness · Threats & Conservation