This project of the Environmental and Resource Conservation program addresses the global concern of ecosystem diversity and stability being challenged by competitive weedy species that move in and take over, shoving aside endemic species that have evolved with each other and adapted to the climatic and soil regimes of a particular area. These endemic species very literally help the ecosystem keep in balance with respect to water storage, soil fertility build up, and species interactions. Invasive weedy species tend to destroy these relationships thus weakening a particular ecosystem. Often, comparisons between widespread healthy and endangered ecosystems have not been made to identify common attributes that make them successful. On the Island of Hawaii invasive weedy trees dominate the landscape. The primary goal of this project is to restore local ecosystems through conservation activities so that legacy plants and animals in that system survive, reproduce, and flourish.