Ecotourism Saves Critically Endangered Hawaiian Plant Species (Video)
Alula (Brighamia insignis) critically endangered plant - Kauai, Hawaii by afearonwood on Flickr
Hawaii's Big Island is home to a delicately balanced ecosystem. To help preserve the diverse species, programs have been created to educate and involve tourists in developing a sustainable industry without harming the environment. Watch the video and start planning your eco-vaca with a trip to the land beyond the jump...
Invasive species such as the gingerroot, brought to the islands ignorantly by colonial settlers, tend to dominate the non-competitive plants native to Hawaii. Enter man: the original cause of the problem now becomes the solution as teams of tourists manually weed out Hawaii's growing guests from the fragile ecosystem to send them packing.
