Fund fight against alien pests

Amid the opening of the new legislative session are calls for state funding for a variety of worthy initiatives. The poor economy of the past few years has meant flat or reduced funding for many programs, and today’s brighter prospects have most departments hoping that vital services can be restored or expanded.

Not all will get their due, of course. But one area where more funding could be particularly well spent is in a collective effort to keep destructive alien pests out of Hawaii, and to limit the harm those that have already gained a foothold here can inflict on vital tourism and agricultural sectors, not to mention everyday life.

Senate and House Democrats are jointly supporting a bill that would give $5 million in fiscal 2014-15 to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, an inter-departmental board that coordinates eradication efforts among various state departments and the University of Hawaii.

This is a big jump from the $750,000 granted this fiscal year, but it makes sense to marshal the various agencies and get the biggest bang for the buck, and on all the islands. A few million spent now could prevent billions of dollars of losses should new pests now in the islands do their full damage.

The stepped-up effort and funding is especially warranted now, after years of budget squeezes that have left needed vector-control positions unfilled.

The Hawaii Invasive Species Council includes representatives from the state Departments of Land and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Health, Transportation, Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and the UH. The Legislature established it in 2003 to provide policy-level direction, coordination and planning among state departments, federal agencies and international and local initiatives to control harmful invasive species already on our shores and to keep new ones from arriving.

The need for such a council was apparent after a 2002 study identified gaps in invasive-species control statewide; setting priorities and disbursing state funds is part of the council’s purview.

At an informational briefing at the Legislature last week, state officials told lawmakers that the islands face serious and growing threats from invasive species such as the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which afflicts iconic palms on Oahu; stinging little fire ants, known on the Big Island and now detected on Oahu and Maui; a type of mosquito that can carry dengue fever and has been found at Honolulu Airport; the Erythrina gall wasp, which kills wiliwili trees; invasive algae that chokes bays and streams; and the coffee berry borer beetle, a major threat to an important cash crop.

As long as that list is, the likelihood of even more pests is great, as the U.S. military pivots toward Asia and vacationing visitors arrive from across the globe. Every plane that touches down brings with it the possibility of an unwanted stowaway.

Just as there is only so much money, there is only so much time in the day, only so many hours that government employees can devote to any given task.

By getting behind this bill, representatives and senators agree that combating invasive species is a high priority for the state Department of Agriculture, for example, which is represented on the council.

County-level disputes over pesticides and GMOs have dominated the discussion about Hawaii agriculture lately, and that can distract from other important statewide issues such as eradicating invasive species.

It has been years since the Democrats in the House and Senate have coalesced around key priorities from the session’s outset, so it’s encouraging to see this joint majority package, which also focuses on addressing the effects of climate change in Hawaii and boosting services for senior citizens.

"We often think of these islands as permanent and unchanging," said Rep. Henry J.C. Aquino, D-Waipahu, the House majority policy leader. "But our environment is fragile and constantly changing, and increasingly threatened by outside forces. We need to be aware of these threats and develop a concerted effort to protect our people, environment, agriculture and economy from them."

We agree.

Successful efforts to protect Hawaii from destructive invasive species ultimately pay for themselves.