HONOLULU — Gov. Josh Green recently issued a proclamation declaring 2023 the Year of the Kahuli. Once inhabiting nearly every ecosystem in the Hawaiian Islands, kahuli, or native tree snails, play an important role in nature and Native Hawaiian culture. They are revered in Hawaiian cultural history and are considered “jewels of the forest.”
What You Need To Know
Kahuli once had a population of 750 different species existing only in the state for over millions of years, but nearly half have become extinct
Dr. David Sischo of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife operates a lab home to 40 species of rare native snails from five islands where they are taken care of before being released into the wild, a slow and laborious process
Snails are known as “the canary in the coal mine” of a Hawaiian forest
