Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve

Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve on Kauaʻi is a protected montane wet forest on a high, rain-soaked plateau near Mount Waiʻaleʻale. Formed over poorly permeable volcanic layers, it has saturated ground, alpine bogs, and an unusual wet-forest habitat that makes it one of Hawaiʻi’s most distinctive ecosystems. The preserve is a crucial refuge for biodiversity, containing many endangered endemic species, including all six surviving endemic bird species of Kauaʻi. It also reflects the island’s ecological crisis: species have vanished here, and remaining birds face habitat loss, mosquito-borne disease, and climate change. Native wet forest dominates the preserve, but invasive species add further pressure.

Wainiha, Hawaii · United States