Guam's last håyun lågu tree (Serianthes nelsonii) in peril

On the island of Guåhan (Guam) native and endemic species are an integral part of the CHamoru language, rituals, and practices. They are interconnected with their culture and honored together with the ocean, the land, and their ancestors. Presently, this spiritual connection is being jeopardized as military expansion threatens the sacred lands of Tailalo’ and Litekyan. Phylogenetic and ethnographic research, connected to the principles of environmental justice, has brought attention to the social movement to protect the last håyun lågu tree (Serianthes nelsonii) at Tailalo’. This opinion piece is a rallying cry to safeguard the last håyun lågu and to confront the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act and the U.S. Endangered Species Act, as its regulations do not mirror the island's social and cultural system and fail to incorporate Indigenous and scientific perspectives to protect Indigenous biocultural heritage.


| INTRODUCTION
The impetus for this short opinion piece is to share a littleknown conservation struggle from Guam, its Indigenous context and meaning within the wider conservation biology community.We use the local orthography of the peoples of Guam (Guåhan) for people, places and species names.We draw from an interdisciplinary study grounded in Indigenous epistemology, amplifying Indigenous voices (Demeulenaere, 2021b).Our goal is to bring attention to the disregard of Indigenous worldviews and local scientific perspectives in the framework of U.S. environmental compliance laws and regulations pertaining to the contemporary military build-up.This build-up on Guåhan is compromising the environmental and cultural integrity of the natural resources of the CHamoru people, the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands.A social movement rose in response to efforts to safeguard the last adult håyun lågu tree (Serianthes nelsonii Merr.(Fabaceae)) and its limestone habitat from the construction of a live-fire training range complex in northern Guåhan (Figure 1).Our research focuses on studying this flagship species using an interdisciplinary approach.We want to emphasize that this story matters because the seed of this research was planted by the CHamoru people and nurtured by them along the way.

| THE LANDSCAPE
Guåhan is the most southern island of the Mariana Islands archipelago in the northwest Pacific Ocean.The southern island arc rose above sea level between 42 and 8 million years ago (Gillespie & Clague, 2009).Its biological diversity has high endemicity.The island has been inhabited by the CHamoru people for over 3500 years The last seed producing håyun lågu (Serianthes nelsonii) tree at Tailalo', (b) håyun lågu flower, (c) Senator Sabina Flores Perez holds a sign depicting the håyun lågu tree during a protest against the firing range.PC, Prutehi Litekyan, (d) Litekyan with a view of the Tailalo' plateau where the last håyun lågu is rooted, (e) view of Litekyan and the traditional fishing grounds, (f) håyun lågu seedling, (g) spiritual gathering at Litekyan.PC, Prutehi Litekyan.(Hung et al., 2015).The orogeny of the Mariana Islands and the formation of its landforms involve complex physical and chemical processes.One of the most intricate phenomena is the creation of karst landscapes shaped by erosion of the limestone over millennia.Karst landscapes feature razor-sharp pinnacles, steep cliffs, deep trenches, buff cobblestones, and weathered caves (Taboroši et al., 2004).The unusual topography provides a variety of ecological niches and climatic conditions for limestone forests with high endemicity (Costion & Lorence, 2012).
Military expansion is threatening biodiversity in Guåhan (Osolla, 2018;Tatreau & Kerr, 2016), the most southern island of the Mariana Islands archipelago.The construction of a Live-Fire Training Range Complex (LFTRC) at Tailalo' is one of the most contested aspects of the contemporary military build-up (Figure 2).The Department of the Navy (DON) will relocate thousands of marines from Okinawa, Japan to Guåhan as early as October 2024 (Burke, 2019; Figure 3).Tailalo' is located in the northern part of the island and is a sacred place to the CHamoru people.The area is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and renamed Northwest Field (Figure 2).Despite opposition from politicians and the community (Demeulenaere, 2021a), DoD leveled the limestone forest and its unique karst formations along with hundreds of endangered species between 2020 and 2022 (DON, 2021; PDN, 2021; Figure 3).The largest of the five ranges, the Multi-purpose Machine Gun Range (MPMG), is being constructed next to the last mature håyun lågu tree, the most endangered tree species in the Mariana Islands, leaving only a 100 feet buffer on the east side.The LFTRC includes a surface danger zone (SDZ) which is off-limits to the public.The SDZ overlays the lands and submerged lands below the cliff line at Tailalo', known as Litekyan (Figures 2 and 3).Yo'åmte (traditional healers) collect åmot (medicine) at Litekyan, while fishermen use the deep-water fishing grounds.These sacred lands were also condemned by the military.But instead of returning the lands to their original landowners, the DoD transferred the lands at Litekyan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to establish the Guam National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the year 2000 (Corona, 2004).Traditional gathering of plants at the NWR is permitted.Collectors, however, are required to obtain a plant collection permit for each visit according to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 USC 668dd-668ee).Members of the community can collect niyok (Cocos nucifera L.) and lemmai (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg), both used for food.The oil of the coconuts is also used topically.Yo'åmte can collect åmot at the refuge, but there are time and area restrictions.Recently, a few medicinal plants such as potpupot palao'an (Peperomia mariannensis C. DC.), frequently collected by the healers, cannot be collected anymore, because of its scarcity (Guam National Wildlife Refuge, 2020).These restrictions make it difficult for the healers to accommodate their patients' needs.In the aftermath of typhoon Mawar's impact on Guåhan in May 2023, the refuge remains closed.That means our yo'åmte could not collect åmot for months.

| THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION
While the military expansion affects many endangered species, cultural practices, and landscapes, we want to highlight one particular tree species, the håyun lågu referred to above, Serianthes nelsonii, and describe how it connects the unique limestone forests at Tailalo' and the CHamoru people.The CHamoru people are forest-dependent and sustain a close spiritual relationship with the forests' plants, animals, and the spirits of the CHamoru ancestors, as they reside in the forest and the trees (such as the nunu (Ficus prolixa G. Forst)) (Aguon, 2008;Perez, 2015).This connection between nature and culture is vital to conservation as Indigenous value systems uphold preserving and respecting the land and their ancestors (Chunhabunyatip et al., 2018;McGinley et al., 2019;Perez, 2015).Prutehi Litekyan, a local grassroots direct-action group, started a social movement advocating for protecting these sacred ancestral lands and returning them to their original landowners (Figure 1).The social movement interconnects land sovereignty with upholding cultural values, spiritual connections, conserving nature, and protecting the CHamoru language tied to the land.By replacing CHamoru names tied to the land with military-laden names, extinction between place names, biodiversity and language can occur (Demeulenaere, 2021a;Loh & Harmon, 2014).The movement demands environmental compliance laws to include spirituality and traditional values, such as inafa'maolek, respecting the land and its people for the common good.The S. nelsonii tree became a rallying point for spiritual resistance.The local community pushed strongly to bring attention to this movement.Scientists with varying expertise stressed the importance of preserving the archeological, cultural, and biological value of Litekyan and Tailalo' and the need to manage these areas.This powerful movement mobilized youth and pressured politicians to halt the process.Two resolutions, introduced by the 34th (Resolution No. 228-34, 2017) and35th (Resolution No. 164-35, 2019) Guam Legislature, called for a pause of the clearing, pre-construction and construction activities at the LFTRC (Figure 3).The second resolution (Resolution No. 164-35, 2019) called in help from the I Maga'hågan Guåhan, the Governor of Guam, Lou Leon Guerrero, who on her turn requested a pause on these activities to ensure the genetic makeup of S. nelsonii between the Guåhan and Luta (Rota) population was clarified.She also expressed her worry about the handling of ancestral sites and artifacts.Joint Region Marianas Rear Admiral Shoshanna Shatfield denied the request of I Maga'hågan Guåhan (Kuam News, 2019a,b).

| RESEARCH GROUNDED IN INDIGENOUS EPISTEMOLOGY
In 2016, the authors of this perspective piece decided to back the social movement and policy research up with traditional and scientific local knowledge.Our approach involved utilizing Indigenous epistemology (Smith, 2012), a knowledge framework that is intertwined with the land and the spiritual realm, in conjunction with scientific knowledge pertaining to the species and area's environment.Our research inquiry is focused on ascertaining whether the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), particularly the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), effectively ensures the holistic preservation of the last population with an adult håyun lågu tree, its habitat, ecology, and the CHamoru rights.The mixed-method approach integrated findings from systematic biogeography, ethnobotany, social movement theory, and conservation policy, providing a more comprehensive solution to this inquiry (Demeulenaere, 2021b).

| THE TREE
Serianthes nelsonii, known as håyun lågu on Guåhan and tronkon guåfi on Luta, is one of the largest trees in the Mariana Islands (USFWS, 1994; Figure 1).These CHamoru names give us important insight into the nature of the tree.Håyun lågu means "foreign tree", illustrating the CHamoru's understanding of its distant origin (Demeulenaere, 2021a).Indeed, biogeographical data revealed the tree is closely related to other Serianthes species from New Caledonia (Demeulenaere, 2021b).The CHamoru word "guåfi" means "fire", referring to the beautiful fire-looking flowers (Figure 1).This iconic tree is listed as endangered under the ESA.Before S. nelsonii's listing in 1987, military construction projects in the 70s and 80s after World War II destroyed several trees (Wiles et al., 1996).Following its ESA listing, the USFWS identified habitat loss, ungulate browsing, herbivorous insect infestations, and inbreeding as the primary perils to the species in their Recovery Plan (USFWS, 1994).There is only one adult seed-producing tree on Guåhan and less than 40 such trees on Luta remaining.The species is (once more) threatened by military expansion, as the largest range of the LFTRC is under construction next to the last wild population of S. nelsonii.When Typhoon Mawar hit Guåhan in May 2023, major branches of the last mature seed-producing håyun lågu tree broke off (Marines, 2023, Figure 3), making sustained seed-production uncertain.

| THE SCIENCE
Even before Mawar struck the last håyun lågu tree, seed availability for both in situ and ex situ conservation and horticulture research was extremely limited (Marler et al., 2015).About 3000 seeds remain in storage (Marines, 2023), ready to be used for recovery actions and research.Therefore, both reintroduction and augmentation of the Guåhan population with seedlings from Luta could bolster the recovery in Guåhan.If individuals or populations of a species or variety that is endemic to one or more islands are rare on these islands, reintroducing new populations will be necessary to protect their existence (Weisenberger et al., 2014).To justify these recovery actions, determining the conspecificity of the Guåhan and Luta populations was crucial.By utilizing herbarium specimens for phylogenomic research, the emerging field of museomics (Renner et al., 2021;Zedane et al., 2016) enabled the identification of historical and geographic Guåhan and Luta clades based on their genotypes through the use of historic Serianthes nelsonii samples (Demeulenaere, 2021b).Recognizing the genetic diversity of a species is important to determine the vulnerability of a species and assign conservation units and management (Coates et al., 2018).The last håyun lågu tree has a unique genotype compared to the Luta population (Demeulenaere, 2021b).These findings are crucial in designing recovery strategies.Besides the conservation benefit, activists can harness the power of genetics to advocate for the protection of the last håyun lågu tree in Guåhan.The Serianthes' fiery flowers ignited people all over the region to stand strong with Serianthes advocating for the sacred lands of Tailalo' and Litekyan (Demeulenaere, 2021a; Figure 1).

| WESTERN COLONIAL KNOWLEDGE POLICY SYSTEMS VERSUS INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE POLICY FRAMEWORKS
Guåhan is an unincorporated territory of the United States.As a result, federal agencies have to comply with U.S. environmental laws and regulations such as the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 C.F.R. §1507.2).These laws, however, continue to promote the hegemony of Western colonial knowledge systems to the exclusion of Indigenous value systems, knowledge, and practices (Brooks, 2022).Other Indigenous peoples such as Indian Tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawai'ians also demand respect for their traditional perspectives in the United States when dealing with the NEPA process (Brooks, 2022;Dongoske et al., 2015).The evaluation of environmental impacts under NEPA fails to incorporate Indigenous spiritual and traditional perspectives on the environment (Dongoske et al., 2015;Johnson, 2019).NEPA requires the agency to seek input from stakeholders and the public as part of the procedural analysis to ensure informed and transparent decision-making.The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is the report that summarizes all the potential impacts of the federal actions and their effect on the quality of the human environment.The Record of Decision for the Final Supplemental EIS was released on September 17, 2015, showing Tailalo' and Litekyan as the preferred location for the LFTRC (U.S.Department of the Navy, DoD, 2015a; Figure 3).The spiritual value of the håyun lågu and the sacred lands of Litekyan and Tailalo' were not part of the EIS.While fruit bats pollinate Serianthes in Palau and Yap, it is the Fanihi (Mariana fruit bat) that has been observed feeding on Serianthes in the Mariana Islands (Demeulenaere et al., 2021).Fanihi is listed as threatened under the ESA and sightings of Fanihi on Guåhan are noted along the Northern plateau, including Tailalo' (Department of Navy, DoD, 2015b).The NEPA evaluation did not consider this traditional knowledge of pollination biology.These U.S. laws contrast United Nations international law and justice.Guåhan is on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples mandates protecting natural resources from exploitation in Non-Self-Governing Territories.After submissions by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and Blue Ocean Law on behalf of the CHamoru people and Prutehi Litekyan, the United Nations affirmed violations of Human Rights against the Indigenous CHamoru people in relation to the increased militarization without the people's consent in January 2021 (United Nations Commission on Human Rights, 2021; Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, 2021; Figure 3).

| CONFLICTING FEDERAL OUTLOOKS: ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY PLAN VERSUS BIOLOGICAL OPINION CONSERVATION MEASURES
Under NEPA, federal agencies have to comply with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §1531 et seq.( 1973) Sec.7) to ensure the proposed actions will not jeopardize the existence of the affected listed species and their critical habitat.After a section 7 consultation, the USFWS formulates a Biological Opinion (BO) which includes conservation measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts on the affected listed species and their habitat.The responsible agency, in this case the Department of Defense, carries out these conservation measures.However, many of the suggested conservation actions listed in the BO conflict with the Serianthes nelsonii Recovery Plan (USFWS, 1994; Table 1).
The 2015 and 2017 BOs stated that deforestation near the lone reproductive håyun lågu tree on Guåhan and  with what is lost.
(1) The geological karst features can never be recovered once destroyed (Demeulenaere, 2021a).( 2) The limestone forest is habitat for endemic and federally listed species.
In Luta, trees are spaced 30 and 100 feet apart (Wiles et al., 1996).The Recovery Plan aims for 500 trees with diverse age structures which cannot be achieved with a 10-acre forest.

Protection against typhoons
Maintenance of an intact forest canopy next to S. nelsonii tree will reduce the potential of edge effects and for high winds during typhoons.By 2022, the forest on the east side of the S. nelsonii population was cleared with a 100-foot buffer between the tree and the LFTRC.
Only a 100-foot buffer is maintained between the last population and the LFTRC.
Typhoons do not threaten common and well-distributed native species on islands, but they can harm endangered populations such as S. nelsonii (Wiles et al., 1996).

Protection against invasive species
Continue to protect all populations against disturbances from feral ungulates.
Implement control procedures for insect pests.
LFTRC range berms will contain native or non-invasive herbaceous vegetation and other engineering controls (Department of the Navy, DoD, 2015a).
The last adult tree in Guåhan is fenced in to prevent access by ungulates.Removal of all ungulates from the LFTRC fenced area once it is constructed.Nursery and outplanting protocols include monitoring of maintenance success criteria.
Ungulate fences protect limestone forests as the flora is susceptible to browsing (Wiles et al., 1996).
Range edges increase forest incursion by invasive species (Tatreau & Kerr, 2016).What is known about pollination ecology comes mainly from incidental reports.

Genetic diversity
Perform genetic studies to determine if Guåhan and Luta populations are distinct and to investigate inbreeding depression.
The adult S. nelsonii and the outplanted seedlings at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge, constitute much of the entire Guåhan lineage and are all in the LFTRC footprint (USFWS, PIFWO, 2015).
The survival of S. nelsonii and the outplanted seedlings at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge are crucial to maintaining genetic diversity of this species.
Genetic research informs inter-island recovery actions.The Guåhan and Luta populations are conspecific, but the Guåhan population has a unique genotype (Demeulenaere, 2021b).

Community involvement
Create a public education and involvement program The LFTRC and last wild S. nelsonii population is not accessible to the public.
Public education and community involvement should be encouraged and developed.The people on Guåhan want to visit the last wild S. nelsonii population.
The biological opinion does not require public input. Note: In addition, Indigenous and scientific perspectives concerning habitat and species protection and the adverse effects of the construction of the LFTRC are listed pertaining to the DON actions and Biological Opinion.We want to emphasize that besides the impact on the biocultural value of the last wild S. nelsonii's habitat, the LFTRC has other major cultural impacts, both affecting historical CHamoru heritage and present CHamoru traditional practices relating to the sacred places of Tailalo' and Litekyan (Demeulenaere, 2021b) and are not all listed in this table.
the site of the largest of the firing ranges 100 feet away would not jeopardize this endangered species (USFWS, PIFWO, 2015, 2017, Figure 3).The most important recovery action listed in the Recovery Plan relates to the in situ habitat protection and augmentation of the last wild S. nelsonii population at Tailalo' (USFWS, 1994; Table 1).The most effective conservation initiative for rare plants is to protect in situ ecosystems (Maschinski & Albrecht, 2017).The Recovery Plan also suggested adding a second subpopulation at Tailalo'.With the current fragmentation of the forest and the safety restrictions surrounding the firing ranges, this becomes nearly impossible.The USFWS, in the Recovery Plan, stresses no forest clearing should occur close to the tree because an intact forest canopy will reduce potential damage during typhoons.Shortly after the forest clearing for the MPMG, the viability of the tree and the Guåhan population has been further imperiled by typhoon Mawar (Marines, 2023, Figure 3).The Biological Opinion (USFWS, PIFWO, 2015) lists several conservation measures, including propagating and out-planting seedlings in the forest enhancement site (which is a degraded forest undergoing restoration management), seed viability testing, and protecting the adult S. nelsonii from ungulates by maintaining the 100 feet fence around the Guåhan adult S. nelsonii tree or by building a fence around the whole firing range.Although these conservation measures will alleviate some of the damages, scientists say it does not equate to the loss that these pristine limestone forests are experiencing, with many of the endangered species found on geological features that took millenia to form.CHamoru culture values the forest and its species as a fundamental aspect of their way of life, as evidenced by pre-entry chants requesting ancestral spirits' permission and the preservation of connections to the past and future through traditional Indigenous land and ocean rights.Mitigation, such as forest restoration to compensate for the loss of forest at Tailalo', is therefore a concept that conflicts with the CHamoru worldview (Demeulenaere, 2021b; Table 1).
Both cultural practitioners and scientists called for environmental justice (Demeulenaere, 2021a).They expressed the need to protect the last håyun lågu and its surrounding habitat to preserve its unique genetic genotype for future recovery actions (Demeulenaere, 2021b) and to restore and preserve access to the tree, Tailalo' and Litekyan for the people of Guåhan (Demeulenaere, 2021a).In effect, military expansion projects were prioritized over the recovery of an endangered species.Losing this tree would further disrupt the environmental and cultural connections with the sacred lands of Tailalo' (Demeulenaere et al., 2021).For Indigenous peoples, place-specific relationships between the land, plants and people are at the heart of sustainability (Perez, 2015).

| RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Under the ESA, re-evaluation of the decisions regarding the endangered species status of Serianthes nelsonii can only occur through re-initiation of the process as new studies and information become available.Senator Sabina Flores Perez submitted a request for re-initiation of the BO for S. nelsonii on November 29, 2021, which included research results pertaining to the unique genotype found at Tailalo' (Demeulenaere, 2021b).However, this new information did not reinitiate the BO which could have stopped the construction of the largest MPMG range.In July 2023, 1 year after issuing a notice of intent to sue, the Center for Biological Diversity and Prutehi Litekyan filed a lawsuit against the Navy and USFWS in the District Court of Guam for violations of the ESA related to the military build-up (Manglona, 2023; Figure 3).The lawsuit asks the judge to reinstate the consultation with the USFWS to develop additional measures to protect Guåhan's imperiled plants and animals.As listed in Table 1, there is a need to increase conservation efforts for the håyun lågu at Tailalo'.
While local conservation actions aim to preserve the tree and its intrinsic connection with the people, postcolonial struggles against the ongoing influence of the United States in Guåhan continue, because of Guåhan's legal status as an unincorporated territory of the United States.There is an urgent need to decolonize conservation policies, and create policies fit for island cultures.
On November 15, 2021, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) launched an initiative to incorporate Indigenous knowledge in Federal scientific and policy decision making, such as NEPA (White House, 2021).On December 1, 2022, the Biden-Harris administration released an "Indigenous Knowledge Guidance for Federal Agencies" and implementation memorandum (White House, 2022).The directives emphasize that each Indigenous community has its unique place-based body of knowledge grounded in social, spiritual, cultural, and natural systems.There are a few caveats.First, implementing these directives is problematic because the United States does not recognize the Native Hawai'ian and CHamoru people as Indigenous people or tribal entities.One example is Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce Order #3206 "American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal Tribal Trust Responsabilities, and the Endangered Species Act" (June 7, 1997).This order grants American Indian tribes the ability to manage listed species and use them for traditional uses.Pacific Islanders are excluded from utilizing the provisions outlined in this order.Second, one part of the solution is to incorporate traditional knowledge, but another crucial part is granting Indigenous people decision-making power regarding their heritage and environmental needs.Guåhan's natural resources are limited, and already 27% of the islands' lands are under jurisdiction of the DoD (Kuper, 2019).Third, additional effort is required to ensure the inclusion of the CHamoru people's worldview and ways of life.To this day, the Mariana Islands continue to use oral tradition as a means of gathering community input.A year and a half later, after the White House's direction, our CHamoru communities still experience political disempowerment dealing with NEPA.On May 5, 2023, the DoD published the notice of Intent for an Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System on Guåhan.The scoping period and public comment period ended on August 18, 2023, while Typhoon Mawar recovery was still in full swing.DoD's plans did not disclose sufficient details.The military only provided a map of Guåhan with 20 potential locations, two of which are in the municipalities of Malesso' and Humåtak.The proposed sites lack info on radiation, blast radius or property taking setbacks (Kuper et al., 2023).Our aim with this opinion piece is to emphasize the pressing need for a change in how information is conveyed, and decisions are made during the NEPA process and to uphold the promise by the White House to respect the genuine spirit of our island communities.

| CONCLUDING REMARKS
Our interdisciplinary research strategy integrated social movement research, systematic biogeography, and ethnoecology research and intersected the findings with the current policy and environmental justice issues surrounding Serianthes.We derived the following conclusions concerning the effectiveness of NEPA and ESA in securing the holistic preservation of the last remaining mature håyun lågu tree, its habitat, and the rights of the CHamoru people.(1) The Indigenous biocultural heritage of the CHamoru people has been damaged irreversibly at Tailalo' by U.S. military land development.(2) The functionality of the håyun lågu's vital ecosystem has been disrupted, diminishing its capability to support a thriving forest community.(3) The NEPA evaluation process and ESA mitigation measures related to military expansion on Guåhan marginalized the traditional Indigenous beliefs and sacred ties to the land.Many other examples in recent U.S. history illustrate the disconnect between Indigenous value systems and U.S. federal regulations (Lute & Meredith, 2014).The cases of environmental justice in Okinawa (Ramo, 2014), Hawai'i (McKenzie et al., 2007), Marshall Islands (Marcoux, 2021), and Standing Rock Indian Reservation (Johnson, 2019) serve as evidence that the current environmental protection framework in the United States neglects Indigenous perspectives.Ongoing militarization persists in enforcing regulations that not only interrupt the Indigenous peoples' responsibility as stewards of their land and waters, but also excludes them from participating in decision-making processes (Hokowhitu et al., 2020).(4) There is an urgent need for a change besides the necessity to incorporate Indigenous worldviews into the NEPA process.Our use of Serianthes nelsonii highlights the vital importance of crafting policies that are specific to the island, built on cultural values, and spearheaded by Indigenous leaders, in combating the perils to Guåhan's unique biocultural diversity.Other Pacific Islands, such as Palau, have traditional councils.The Palau Council of Chiefs serves as the president's advisors on matters related to customary laws and traditions (Kesolei, 2023).Guåhan could establish a traditional council to provide recommendations on issues concerning cultural and natural resources, and Indigenous rights.
While this article emphasizes injustices related to the håyun lågu, the spiritual relationship to this tree is merely a fragment of the broader holistic puzzle of land sovereignty, traditional practices, including traditional healing and fishing, that are interrelated with the sacred lands of Tailalo' and Litekyan.
As the bulldozers inched their way towards the last håyun lågu tree at Tailalo' their ravaging sound further silenced the voices of the people.Although Tailalo' sustained irreplaceable damage because of the construction of the ranges, more destruction is on its way below the cliff at Litekyan.More forest will be cleared to relocate the USFWS building and to construct a new road that will provide access to the portion of the refuge that will remain accessible to the public.We want to call upon the scientific community to stand behind the CHamoru people in protecting their sacred lands.By disseminating our story and seeking support from tribal, Indigenous, federal, and local government leaders, you can promote Indigenous rights that are tied to this movement aimed at protecting the håyun lågu tree and the sacred lands of Tailalo' and Litekyan.The håyun lågu tree at the Tailalo' plateau symbolizes the CHamoru Indigenous biocultural heritage, waiting patiently to reconnect with its people.
As well as being an appeal to support the CHamoru community, our findings offer a wider lesson in managing competing demands between institutions and governments and the rights of native and Indigenous communities pertaining to the preservation of the environmental and cultural integrity of their natural resources.opinion piece.We express our gratitude to the University of Guam and the University of Alaska Fairbanks for their collaborative efforts and continued support in making science pertinent to our island communities.Our profound thanks go to the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant for providing financial support for publishing this perspective.

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I G U R E 2 Map depicting Tailalo' in brown (renamed Northwest Field by the Department of Defense) and Litekyan in blue (Guam National Wildlife Refuge, Ritidian Unit) in the northwest of the island of Guåhan.The Live-Fire Training Range (LFTRC) footprint at Tailalo' is colored light pink.The deep pink lines indicate the extent of the Surface Danger Zone overlying the forest and strand vegetation and the traditional fishing grounds of Litekyan when the LFTRC is in operation.The location of the last håyun lågu (Serianthes nelsonii) tree at Tailalo' is indicated with a green triangle.Inset map showing the size of the island of Guåhan and the area of interest in the black rectangle.

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I G U R E 3 Timeline of events since the U.S. Marine Corps Relocation announcement until the present.
T A B L E 1 Overview of the recovery actions listed in the USFWS Serianthes nelsonii Recovery Plan, the Department of the Navy's actions relating to the construction and operation of the LFTRC (with an emphasis on the Multi-purpose Machine Gun Range constructed next to the last wild S. nelsonii population), the conservation measures listed in the Biological Opinion to contribute to the recovery of the wild S. nelsonii population at Tailalo' on Guåhan, and Indigenous and scientific perspectives.Actions listed in the USFWS recovery plan of 1994 relating to the last wild Serianthes nelsonii population at Tailalo' DON actions relating to the construction and operation of the LFTRC Conservation measures listed in 2015 and 2017 biological opinion Indigenous and scientific perspectives concerning habitat and species protection and the adverse effects of the LFTRC Habitat protection and augmentation of Serianthes populations Protect and augment limestone forest at Tailalo' around the mature S. nelsonii tree.The goal is to have a population of 500 trees.Prevent clearing near the remaining S. nelsonii tree and seedlings.Include a second S. nelsonii subpopulation at Tailalo' with 500 trees.Major changes to the topography due to the construction of MPMG Range (Department of the Navy, DoD, 2015a Mariana fruit bat assists with pollination of Serianthes.By 2022, 78 acres of limestone habitat suitable for the Mariana fruit bat is leveled. ).