It was a major coup for the state when the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) selected Hawaii as the site for its World Conservation Congress this September. Never before held on U.S. soil, the event — held once every four years — will be in the Aloha State, which often struggles to strike a balance between conservation and development.
The state is preparing for up to 8,000 delegates and their families to what is considered the “Olympics” of the conservation world, an event organized by the IUCN, which focuses on finding solutions to the world’s pressing environmental challenges. State officials believe the conference will put Hawaii on an international platform of world conservation issues, with the added benefit of generating valuable tourism dollars.
Those are certainly worthwhile reasons to ensure the event is a success — but what’s troubling is the source of the state’s funding to help support the event, a $13.2 million total commitment. Ironically, at least $4 million in state funds to host the event will be taken away from Hawaii’s own conservation and environmental programs.
Then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie in 2014 transferred $4 million from the state’s Special Land Development Fund to prepare for the congress. That fund, though, is normally used to pay for programs under Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), such as the upkeep of state parks, invasive species control, endangered species protections, restoring watersheds and native vegetation, beach restoration, among other programs.
Now Gov. David Ige is asking state lawmakers to authorize another $4 million in DLNR special fund money to support the congress, but a department spokeswoman said it hasn’t been decided yet if that money will also be drawn from the Special Land Development Fund. We strongly oppose further siphoning of monies meant to improve Hawaii’s environment.
If another $4 million is indeed needed, it should come from other sources. Rather than raid a crucial land-preservation fund, reallocation should logically look to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau or in-kind services from other entities charged with tourism marketing.
State Sen. Laura Thielen (D, Hawaii Kai-Waimanalo-Kailua) has correctly questioned the decision to divert money to help pay for the congress from a fund and a department that support state parks, conservation and environmental efforts. Thielen, former DLNR director and one-time chairwoman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, asked: “Why is it taking money from land and resource management?”
Somehow the allure and prestige of hosting the conservation congress have overshadowed the state’s own conservation efforts. As it stands, DLNR’s portion of the state general fund is but a sliver, amounting to about 1 percent of the total state budget — an amount that local conservationists already consider too meager for a stewardship department.
For the September gathering, the state has committed to deliver $11.48 million in cash and in-kind contributions, plus $1.8 million in operation costs — a huge obligation.
It took a years-long lobbying campaign to secure the World Conservation Congress. It will take millions of dollars to see the event come to fruition. And while it’s important to showcase the state’s conservation efforts worldwide, it’s even more critical to protect the funds that will finance those efforts for generations to come.
