There is no scientific evidence showing Indigenous People hunted these species to extinction (Image: Gemini) For years, many believed that Indigenous Hawaiians hunted native waterbirds to extinction. It’s a story that’s been repeated in classrooms, conservation debates, and popular science. But new research suggests that the story may not be true. A study by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has found no scientific evidence that Indigenous communities wiped out these birds through overhunting. Instead, the real reasons behind their decline appear to be far more complex. So what actually caused the decline? Rather than a single cause, researchers point to a mix of factors: Climate change Invasive species Changes in land use over time What’s striking is that many of these changes happened before Polynesians even arrived in Hawaiʻi—or later, when traditional ways of managing land began to break down.…