Government and private agencies have developed a plan that they hope will lead to a sensible program of protecting Hawai'i's rare native wildlife.

The problem with conservation efforts has been one of crisis management. They have often been focused on the latest big issue, rather than on a wide view that identifies which issues need attention the most and which can take second seat.

The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, also known as the Hawai'i Wildlife Action Plan, seeks to change that.

The development of such a plan is mandated by the federal government for each state that wants access to an $80 million federal wildlife fund. Hawai'i's plan was built over three years in an effort including the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a wide range of community groups, and has received federal approval.

The document, which is more than 700 pages long, may be viewed at www.state .hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/cwcs.

"Hawai'i has the dubious title of being the endangered species capital of the world. To relinquish that title, we need to take action," said Peter Young, chairman of the land department.

The plan breaks down conservation needs by island, and includes a rundown of species at risk — thousands of them. It also reviews habitats at risk, and the most significant threats they face.

It is broad-based as well in that it doesn't limit itself to birds or flowering plants. The troubled species it addresses include birds, the Hawaiian bat, insects, snails, freshwater and marine fishes, other saltwater creatures and more.

The plan, its executive summary says, "is a historic initiative that comprehensively reviews the status of the full range of the state's native terrestrial and aquatic species, more than 10,000 of which are found nowhere else on earth."

Young said that while the plan identifies plants and creatures that need attention the most, the inclusion of habitats in its approach provides an important vehicle for addressing multiple species at the same time, and protecting the ecological framework in which they live.

Furthermore, it lays out ways in which federal, state and local agencies and nongovernment groups can coordinate their actions.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or call him at (808) 245-3074.