Have you ever flown back to Hawaii with an errant apple in your bag? It may seem trivial, but every item that enters our islands could potentially bring along a devastating new invasive pest. And while an apple may not wreak havoc, non-native insects, plants, animals and diseases are hidden within the tons of imported cargo and hundreds of airplanes and ships that arrive daily in our islands.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has faced budget and staff reductions for years, crippling effective inspection of domestic agricultural and high risk imports, and limiting the agency’s ability to respond to pest emergencies.
Despite the serious impacts that invasive species have on public health, our economy and natural resources, HDOA is given less than one-half percent of the state’s budget to conduct invasive species prevention and response work. The Department of Land and Natural Resources fares only slightly better, receiving less than 1 percent of state funds to protect all of our natural and cultural resources.
Many voices in conservation and land management have been calling for a biosecurity plan for Hawaii. That opportunity is now at hand. Under the leadership of HDOA, a comprehensive plan is under development. The timing is apt, with the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu this September. As the world’s foremost gathering of environmental leaders, the Congress is an opportunity for Hawaii to enlist high-level support for changes in international, federal and state laws that an effective biosecurity plan will require.
The need for such a plan has never been greater. Hawaii may be geographically isolated, but as an international hub for trade and tourism, and a state that imports 90 percent of its food and other living supplies, we remain highly vulnerable to biological invasion in what has become an increasingly interconnected world.
State, federal and private forest managers already struggle to sustain watersheds and stem a silent and growing invasion of alien plants, animals and diseases, the latest of which is Rapid Ohia Death. Each new invasive pest puts Hawaiian culture at risk, threatening the plants and animals to which it is inextricably linked. Farmers have had to absorb millions of dollars in crop losses battling threats like coffee berry borer and banana bunchy top disease, wondering what’s next. And our visitor industry remains constantly at risk from threats like snakes, biting ants and flies and new mosquito-borne diseases. Climate change only adds another challenging layer to this mix.
A biosecurity plan is a complex document that requires a wide range of interests and industries to weigh in — everything from conservation, transportation, health, tourism and agriculture to commercial forestry, landscaping, horticulture and the pet and nursery trades. The HDOA is to be commended for taking an inclusive approach and for its stated intention to develop a plan focused both on the prevention of new invasive introductions and the ongoing control of already established pests.
Ultimately, addressing our invasive species problem is a choice Hawaii needs to make. We need to prioritize the work and cost of protecting our natural environment, our economy and our island way of life. We need to extend the ability of HDOA and other agencies to manage and prevent new invasive species from gaining a foothold in the islands.
That starts with the biosecurity plan being developed and the unprecedented opportunity to gain national and international support for it at the World Conservation Congress.
If we invest now in a biosecurity plan, and have the political will to fund and implement it, Hawaii’s future, and the future of our children, will be considerably brighter.
