Forum is chance to learn and illuminate

The watchdogs of Hawaii’s natural environment will have an opportunity to share what they have learned about battling established non-native biological threats while fending off new waves of invasive species when the 2016 World Conservation Congress convenes in Honolulu next month.

The quadrennial conference of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, runs from Sept. 1 to 10. This is the first time in the organization’s 60-year history that the conference will be held in the United States.

Hawaii was selected to host the conference in part because of its rich biological diversity, a characteristic that brings with it continual threats of disruption.

The Hawaii Invasive Species Council and the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, or CGAPS, two interagency groups that help coordinate efforts to identify and deal with invasive species, are scheduled to host a series of workshops and other educational events related to biosecurity.

“The congress coming here is an opportunity for us to show what we have been doing, and not doing, to protect nature,” said Christy Martin, CGAPS project coordinator and public information officer. “The biggest benefit is that we get to hear from international experts about what is going on elsewhere in the world.”

The groups will also introduce three biosecurity-related motions for the IUCN Members’ Assembly. Specifically, they will ask for the congress to promote and support cooperation in exchanging information, technology and best practices to prevent the spreading of aquatic invasive species through “biofouling” — the attaching of organisms like algae and barnacles to ocean vessels — and urge governments to share responsibility for preventing such spread; officially recognize the need for international coordination and cooperation to address biofouling; and establish an internationally binding instrument to address the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens from biofouling.

The state Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and many other government agencies and nongovernment organizations have long coordinated efforts to address the threat of invasive species on Hawaii’s natural environment.

In addition to long-standing problems with wild pigs and other feral animals that harm native plants, and invasive plants like strawberry guava, which compete with native flora for water and other resources, the organizations affiliated with the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species have had their hands full responding to new threats.

Among the most serious recent threats are:

>> Rapid ohia death: Scientists don’t know where the disease came from or when it arrived in Hawaii, but it has potentially devastating implications for native ohia plants. The pathogen has so far been contained to Hawaii island. The Agriculture Department is seeking to make permanent a soon-to-expire emergency policy that sets strict requirements for the transport of ohia.

>> Little fire ants: The stinging insects are capable of clearing out native insects in areas they infest and are a threat to native birds and other animals. They are contained to Hawaii island and are believed to have been eradicated from Oahu and Kauai, although careful monitoring continues.

>> Coconut rhinoceros beetle: So far contained to Oahu, these beetles bore into coconut trees and kill them. Eradication efforts are ongoing. The beetles are believed to have arrived in Hawaii from Guam.