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University of Hawai'i |
(808) 956-8856 Telephone |
For Immediate Release: |
November 20, 1998 |
Contact: Cheryl Ernst, (808) 956-5941 David Duffy, 808 956-8218 or 956-3932 |
Duffy to head UH unit working to preserve Hawai'i ecosystems The new director of a quiet force in the preservation of Hawai'i ecosystems is a seabird specialist who will draw on a wealth of experience acquired from Appalachia to Alaska and tackling issues from Lyme Disease to oil spills. David C. Duffy assumed leadership of the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PCSU) in the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Department of Botany this year. The unit-a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service and UH Manoa, employs about 150 employees and attracts nearly $7 million a year in the effort to conserve Hawaiian natural and cultural resources. It is involved in more than 50 research projects, including · A state project on Maui to save the po'o uli, a bird with only three known survivors; · Army and Army National Guard plans to refine the management of their training lands; · National Park Service efforts to restore park ecosystems battered by exotic invasive species, from helping the service re-establish turtle nesting on Big Island to developing methods of controlling weeds that invade forests. "All of the unit's work is cooperative. The unit is especially useful at helping state and federal agencies work together and providing management for funds pooled to attack common problems," Duffy says. The unit reported more than $4 million in federal funding for 22 projects in October alone. Duffy holds an appointment as a professor of botany at UH Manoa in addition to his role as PCSU director. He holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard and doctorate from Princeton and is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Ornithologists' Union, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society and Society for Conservation Biology. He has written extensively and taught and done field work in New Zealand, Central and South America and Africa. Among the positions he has held are director pro tem and resident ornithologist at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands; executive director of the International Association for Ecology; principal investigator on a Lyme disease project for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Seatuck Foundation; adjunct assistant professor at the Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook; and professor and Alaska Natural Heritage Program manager at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Duffy replaces Clifford W. Smith, Emeritus Professor of Botany, who recently retired after serving 23 years as CPSU director.
Pacific Cooperative Study Unit A program of the National Park Service residing within the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Department of Botany and partnering with state, federal and private organizations concerned with management of natural resources. MISSION Cooperative conservation and preservation of natural and cultural resources in Hawai'i and the Pacific region. Efforts include management of wildlife; control of alien plant and animal species, including protection of archaeological sites from destructive alien plants, and restoration of native species, including koa forests and Hawaiian forest birds. DIRECTOR UHM Professor of Botany David Duffy phone: (808) 956-8218, email: dduffy@hawaii.edu SOME PAST ACTIVITIES AND CURRENT PROJECTS Unit scientists identified malaria as a serious threat to Hawai'i's native birds; pioneered the use of large fenced enclosures to allow Hawaiian ecosystems to recover from overgrazing by alien animals, such as goats and pigs, and spearheaded use of biological control to counter forest pest plants. · Through the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (http://www.hear.org), unit researchers use the Internet to help state resource managers in the fight against invasive alien species. · In addition to academic studies of cultural traditions, the unit is helping Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park restore its fish ponds and has established a pilot project to train Native Hawaiians for careers in resource management. · Unit researchers have surveyed coral reefs and flying foxes and are monitoring seabirds for the National Park of American Samoa. · Researchers recently returned from Brazil, where they are working with local scientists in the search for potential biological agents to control miconia, strawberry guava and apple snails, a species that threatens Hawai'i's taro crop and Asia's rice fields. · In addition to its work in national parks, the unit is conducting ecosystem management studies of military training areas in Hawai'i. HUMAN BENEFITS Support for dozens of interns and more than 50 graduate students working on Hawai'i natural resource issues. Creation of jobs for UH graduates and native Hawaiians in areas, such as Big Island, where employment opportunities have been limited. Practical experience for volunteers (who donated more than 24,000 hours
of time last year) that help UH graduates acquire skills and experience
to become more competitive when seeking jobs. |
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