GRAZED TO THE GROUND: HOW INVASIVE UNGULATES THREATEN RANCHLANDS AND ECOSYSTEMS

Lauren S. Katayama; laurenk2@hawaii.edu; Derek Risch, Mark Thorne, Kyle Caires, Greg Friel, Carolyn LW Auweloa, Karen Steensma, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Jason Omick, Melissa R. Price

Invasive wild ungulates pose significant global concerns due to their impact on ecosystem functions and competition with native species. Many island systems lack large native predators to control wild ungulate populations, which intensifies these adverse effects, particularly on agricultural land. Across Hawaiʻi, approximately one million acres of ranchland are dedicated to beef production. However, the overabundance of axis deer, mouflon sheep, and feral goats has resulted in overgrazing of some areas, which increases sediment runoff, promotes spread of invasive plants, decreases ecosystem health, and threatens the livelihood of generational ranchers. This study examines the relationship between invasive ungulate abundance and changes in plant biomass on ranchlands in Maui and Hawaiʻi Island. We utilized game cameras, grazing exclusion cages, and line-transect sampling to quantify wild ungulate detections, vegetation loss, and plant community composition. Higher detections of wild ungulates were positively associated with reduced plant biomass but were not statistically significant (p= 0.26). Wild ungulates were found across all types of plant community composition, indicating that the expansion of wild ungulates is widespread on ranchlands. Our findings underscore the widespread expansion of ungulates across the landscape and highlight the necessity of collaborative management between agricultural and conservation land managers for sustainable land use.

Wildlife and Agriculture I   Student Paper