Palila v. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

Palila v. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
Court	United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Full case name	Palila, (Psittirostra bailleui), an endangered species et al. v. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources et al.
Decided	February 9, 1981[1]
Citation(s)	Case Citations Case Report
Court membership
Judge(s) sitting	Otto Richard Skopil, Jr. (head judge), Betty Binns Fletcher, Harry Pregerson
Keywords
Endangered Species Act, Palila, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Earthjustice

Palila v. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources was an ecological court case pertaining to the Palila and the Māmane-Naio ecosystem of Mauna Kea. The case stems from the introduction of goats and sheep onto Hawaiʻi island in the late 18th century, which became feral and damaged the local ecosystem. Before the 1920s elimination program was completed, it was replaced with a game control plan that caused controversy between hunters and conservationists. Claiming that the state of Hawaii was violating the Endangered Species Act, a suit was filed to the Ninth District Court; as a result, the state was ordered to eradicate all feral animals on the island within two years. A public hunting program was put in place and has been largely effective; the Palila has begun to recover, and the case demonstrated federal power to protect endangered species.