Teaming against invasive pests

HILO — Time and time again, invasive species have tested Hawaii Island’s defenses and won.

Coqui frogs, little fire ants, coffee berry borers and more sneaked through the island’s porous borders and met with little resistance as they became established and spread like wildfire.

The invasive pests can cause millions of dollars in crop losses, wipe out native species and forests, spread disease and cause quarantines of exported agricultural crops.

Now, legislators are looking to public-private partnerships — similar to those currently being pursued by Maui and East Hawaii — in the hope that they may be a way to slow or stop the onslaught of invasive pests on Hawaii Island’s delicate ecosystems.

State Rep. Clift Tsuji’s House Bill 2424, which passed its first reading in the Senate on Tuesday after clearing a House floor vote last week, seeks to strengthen the Department of Agriculture’s bio-security program by allowing administrators to utilize funding and expertise from outside sources, Tsuji explained Wednesday.

“Previous legislation lacked a certain amount of clout to enable the Department of Agriculture to do its job as effectively as we want to counter invasive species under the bio-security program,” he said.

Additions to the state law governing the bio-security program would allow the state to partner with private organizations to provide on-port and off-port facilities, including inspection and treatment facilities.

“The Department has been working with freight-forwarders, airlines, produce importers, and others to develop inspection facilities, manifesting systems, database sharing and other avenues to enhance the effectiveness of our bio-security program,” Hawaii Board of Agriculture Chairman Scott Enright said in testimony related to the measure. “This bill will strengthen our ability to work collaboratively with our partners.”

All told, more than two dozen individuals or groups submitted testimony in support of the bill, with no one opposing it.

The reason, Tsuji said, is because everyone in Hawaii is all too aware of the dangers posed by leaving invasive species unchecked.

“I think over time we become more aware, daily, of the critical nature of what invasive species do, and what is done to our environmental ecology,” he said. “People are more cognizant and aware of what a destructive element invasive species are.”

Tsuji pointed to threats like the brown tree snake, which has had an enormous impact on the environment in Guam.

“On Guam, the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake has resulted in widespread devastation,” reads the legislation. “Without natural predators or competition for food, brown tree snake populations have grown exponentially, causing mass extinction of endemic birds. Where there were once bird songs, the forests of Guam are now silent and home to as many as 15,000 snakes per square mile. The introduction of just one new pest like the brown tree snake could change the ecological character of the Hawaiian Islands forever.”

Tsuji added that on Wednesday, the House Committee on Agriculture agreed to recommend to the Committee on Finance the inclusion of up to $3.7 million in appropriations in the state budget to fund the bio-security program.

The money would help with efforts like risk assessment, bar-coding and identification of imported agricultural products.

Among other measures targeting invasive species that crossed over the aisle this week for further discussion by the Legislature include a bill which would appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for management of albizia trees; legislation establishing a coupon project that would allow residents to purchase pesticide to treat little fire ant infestations; and an appropriation for the Department of Agriculture to research and develop methods to prevent and treat the macadamia pest known as felted coccid.

Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.