Avian botulism in Hawaiʻi: an historical analysis of avian botulism outbreaks and the establishment of a Hawaiʻi waterbird network for improved wetland management
Avian botulism in Hawaiʻi: an historical analysis of avian botulism outbreaks and the establishment of a Hawaiʻi waterbird network for improved wetland management
Date
2022-05
Authors
Staab, Malia L.
Contributor
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Price, Melissa
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Miura, Tomoaki
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Abstract
Avian botulism is a paralytic disease that kills thousands of waterbirds globally each year. In Hawaiʻi, where the endemic waterbird populations are already limited in size, the threat of botulism outbreaks is a large concern. Despite the frequent movement of waterbirds among wetlands throughout the state to meet foraging, refugia, and nesting needs, botulism outbreaks continue to be managed as isolated events by individual wetland managers. Successful containment of avian botulism outbreaks requires efficient communication within and between wetland managers to increase awareness of outbreak potential, increase monitoring, and remove infected carcasses to prevent widespread outbreak. Thus, a critical need exists to assess historical and geographic trends in outbreaks and to increase communication among wetland managers. This project aimed to increase prevention and containment of avian botulism through: (1) reviewing historical avian botulism trends and reporting throughout the state; (2) developing a listserv to alert network participants regarding potential outbreaks; (3) building a website to receive reports of suspected botulism cases and provide educational information. Using the snowball sampling method, a diverse array of wetland managers were engaged in calls for botulism case data and participation in monthly Hawaiʻi Waterbird Network meetings from February to May, 2021. Based on collated records from 1993 to 2021, managers reported 830 avian botulism cases, with the bulk of cases reported by agencies managing several large wetlands, and coming from islands with the highest wetland to land ratio. Through a combination of literature review and manager discussion, we found a common set of management challenges, and that increased communication regarding suspected botulism outbreaks not only allowed for timely responses, but increased the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) for other waterbird threats. Key threats identified during stakeholder elicitations included non-native predators, habitat loss, and concerns about climate change. BMPs for waterbird recovery included predator control, regular monitoring, and habitat restoration. This project established a statewide wetland manager network and demonstrated how managers can use a system-wide approach to improve collaboration, communication and enhance social-ecological resilience, in this case, to minimize botulism-induced mortality in Hawaiian waterbirds.
Description
Keywords
Avian Botulism,
Manager network,
Hawaiian waterbird,
Avian disease,
Best management practices,
Wetland management
Citation
Extent
21 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Hawaii
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Table of Contents
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Rights Holder
Staab, Malia L.
Local Contexts
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