Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian and the Center for Biological Diversity have put the blame on the military's limestone forest clearing and construction of a machine gun range at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz for the death of the last mature specimen of the critically endangered Serianthes nelsonii tree, or håyun lågu. Camp Blaz last week announced that the last mature håyun lågu has died, more than a year after major damage from Typhoon Mawar. But while the Ritidian mother tree died, protection of the young trees that originated from it continues, the statement from Camp Blaz added.
In a joint statement to the media late Thursday night, Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian and the Center for Biological Diversity said the mature tree "was killed by the clearing of some of the last best limestone forest on the island for a machine gun range." "This left the tree exposed to powerful and destructive wind from typhoons that were bound to come," the groups said in their statement. Håyun lågu is a tree species found only on Guam and Rota.
“The loss of this mother tree is a clear sign of the devastation that the U.S. military has wrought on the Native people and species of Guam,” said Maxx Phillips, attorney and Pacific Islands director for the Center for Biological Diversity.
“I’m absolutely heartbroken by the death of this beautiful tree because it means the species may now be extinct there.” The groups said the military has been raising and planting seedlings of the.