EMMA'S OPINION
Hawaiian Monk Seals: Endangered in the Extinction Capital of the World
There are currently only two monk seal species alive today and after years of human activity destroying their population, it’s time to restore the species to their past glory. The loss of the Hawaiian Monk Seal would drastically affect the economy in Hawaii along with damage the nationalistic efforts of many people. The recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal must begin now as the low population of the species will only continue to decrease as human activities continue to disrupt their natural lives
If humans were able to aid in the recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal it would result in a sense of pride throughout the nation, specifically their homeland, Hawaii. Being considered the “Extinction Capital of the World”, Hawaii is determined to preserve as many native species as possible. With only 1,100 Hawaiian Monk Seals left Hawaii has appointed the species as their state animal in hopes that it will drive the nation to save the seal. Despite the flourishing past history suggests the monk seal species once had, human interaction and activity has driven the Mediterranean and Hawaiian Monk Seals to critical endangerment and the Caribbean Monk Seal to complete extinction. Knowing our participation in the endangerment of the Hawaiian Monk Seal, great pride would follow our help in the successful recovery of the species. If we fail to recover the Hawaiian Monk Seal, we could potentially disrupt the efforts to save many other species because if we can’t even save a hugely publicized endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, how can we save any other lesser-known species?
Due to the nationalism surrounding the Hawaiian Monk Seal, specifically centered in Hawaii, extinction of the species could have disastrous effects on tourism in Hawaii. In 2012, Hawaii profited $13.9 billion off of visitor spending alone, making tourism the largest private capital in Hawaii. One of the greatest draws to the Hawaiian Islands are the many unique plant and animal species found only there. Unfortunately, considerably due to tourism, Hawaii has been given the title of the “Extinction Capital of the World” and the loss of yet another acclaimed species, such as the Hawaiian Monk Seal, will only further damage the reputation of Hawaii and greatly affect tourists’ desire to visit the islands, potentially losing Hawaii billions of dollars in visitors’ spending.
Despite the many efforts of saving the Hawaiian Monk Seal, due to their critical endangerment, extreme measures must be taken to recover the species and they must be taken now. The low and decreasing population count of the species proves that action must be taken now or else the damage the human race has caused the Hawaiian Monk Seal may become irreversible. The extinction of the Hawaiian Monk seal could potentially not only disturb Hawaii’s economy, but destroy any motivation to save other endangered species.