Feral ungulate browsing, rooting & trampling

Names and classification

Record type

threat

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Recorded state

Active / widespread in accessible habitat

Threats and conservation

Pressure source

Introduced pigs, goats and deer

Exposure pathway

Direct browsing/rooting/trampling; soil disturbance; vegetation removal; tree wounding

Consequences

Loss of native vegetation; erosion; invasive-plant establishment; mosquito breeding habitat; increased tree wounds

Affected requirements

Native regeneration, soil stability, understory structure, watershed function

Susceptibility

Native plants, forest structure, headwaters, rare-plant sites and forest-bird habitat

Reversibility

Often reversible locally after exclusion/removal, but recovery may require weed control and outplanting

Early warning indicators

Ungulate sign; new rooting/browse; bare soil; fence breaches; seedling loss

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/dofaw/kauai/plans/fencing/
• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/files/2025/03/KWA-Detailed-Mgmt-Plan-2012_reduced-size-3.pdf
• https://www.fws.gov/species/invasive-species/about-invasive-species

Connected Atlas records

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• Montane bog & dwarf wet shrubland · Ecosystems
• Riparian corridor ecosystem · Ecosystems
• Ungulate-proof fencing · Threats & Conservation
• Ungulate removal & sustained control · Threats & Conservation
• Rare-plant seed banking, propagation & outplanting · Threats & Conservation
• Native forest restoration & outplanting · Threats & Conservation
• Watershed erosion & sediment-source control · Threats & Conservation