State tapping land funds for conservation conference

The state is providing millions of dollars in public funds to support a major international gathering of conservationists, called the World Conservation Congress, in Honolulu in September, including at least $4 million from the state department that oversees Hawaii environmental protection, park maintenance and land management programs.

Last year, Gov. Neil Abercrombie transferred $4 million from the state’s Special Land Development Fund to pay for preparations for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature event, which will be held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center from Sept. 1-10. The congress is expected to attract up to 8,000 delegates from around the world.

The Special Land Development Fund is normally used to pay for programs under Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, such as the upkeep of state parks, invasive species control, endangered species protection, restoring watersheds and native vegetation, beach restoration and other environmental programs.

The Special Land Development Fund also finances the state Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, which is responsible for overseeing about 2 million acres of public and private conservation lands. Those lands include the most environmentally sensitive areas of the state.

Gov. David Ige has asked state lawmakers to this year authorize another $4 million in DLNR special fund money to support the congress, but a spokeswoman for the department said it hasn’t been decided yet if that money will also be drawn from the Special Land Development Fund.

In all, the state has pledged to deliver support for the congress valued at $13.2 million, said Deborah Ward, communications specialist for DLNR.

State Sen. Laura Thielen (D, Hawaii Kai-Waimanalo-Kailua) 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 programs. Funding for DLNR and its programs has stagnated in recent years, she said.

“Why isn’t the state putting in money outside of DLNR’s budget to promote this event? Why is it taking money away from land and resource management?” she asked.

THIELEN SAID the event will help boost the state economy and fits with the state’s goals of encouraging eco-tourism. But she said natural resource protection is critical to the tourism industry, and the state needs to dedicate more money toward land and resource management. She added that many state parks facilities are in such poor condition that they have become “an utter embarrassment.”

“Our facilities, our resources, our programs have less support because of this program rather than more,” said Thielen, who served as chairwoman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources during former Gov. Linda Lingle’s administration. “I think it’s a bad move.”

Ward said the World Conservation Congress is important because it “puts Hawaii on an international platform of world conservation issues, to share our knowledge and get feedback from the international conservation community.”

The World Conservation Congress will include presentations, papers and discussions, and a members’ assembly that will vote on the priorities of the International Union for Conservation of Nature for the next four years, Ward said in emailed replies to questions. The estimated 8,000 delegates and their families “are likely to further explore the islands on their own time, leading to further travel and economic benefit to the state,” Ward said.

THE STATE undertook a yearslong lobbying campaign to attract the congress to Hawaii, an effort that involved Abercrombie, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, former U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, and the U.S. State Department.

President Barack Obama also offered a letter in support of the Hawaii bid for the congress, which Abercrombie described in 2014 as “the largest and most prestigious of all gatherings of the conservation community.”

The congress is held every four years, and 2016 will mark the first time the event has been held in the United States since the IUCN was founded in 1948.

Abercrombie said in 2014 the congress is “both an honor and an opportunity for us to show the entire conservation community, the world over, how Hawaii has adopted a leadership role in preserving and protecting resources, developing sustainability programs on multiple fronts, and addressing many of the issues associated with global climate change.”

Ward said in an emailed response to questions that the state has committed to deliver $11.48 million in cash and in-kind contributions to support the event as well as $1.8 million in additional “operating costs.”

The state’s share so far is made up of $1.5 million in contributions from the Hawai‘i Convention Center that includes a discount on the use of the center, and $500,000 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The U.S. State Department has committed another $525,000, and Matson Navigation and Castle Foundation have committed $200,000 each. The private Hauoli Mau Loa foundation has committed another $300,000, and additional fundraising is ongoing, Ward said.

Apart from the state commitment, Ward said the IUCN will provide $8.26 million for the core congress program.

The DLNR is managing the state effort, and has already awarded two contracts to the East-West Center worth a total of $3.5 million to handle logistics for the congress.