THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            104
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO ESTABLISH THE
    STATE OF HAWAII AS A GLOBAL LABORATORY FOR RESEARCH ON
    THREATENED, ENDANGERED, AND EXTINCT SPECIES ISSUES.



 1        WHEREAS, thirty-four animal species and two hundred sixty-
 2   three plant species in Hawaii are in danger of becoming extinct
 3   or are on the verge of extinction; and more than 263 species
 4   and taxa of animals and plants have gone extinct during the
 5   last 200 years in the natural history of Hawaii; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, of the 474 threatened and endangered animal
 8   species in the United States, more than seven per cent are
 9   native to Hawaii; and of the 701 threatened and endangered
10   plant species in the United States, more than thirty-seven per
11   cent are native to Hawaii; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, ecosystem destruction by human beings and exotic
14   animals, species displacement by aggressive alien
15   introductions, competition for food resources, disease,
16   predation, and hunting have decimated the native fauna and
17   flora of Hawaii in the 221 years since European contact; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, through the development and implementation of
20   recovery plans for the conservation and survival of threatened
21   and endangered animals and plants, a great deal of work has
22   been accomplished by government and private agencies in a short
23   period of time to delay the extinction of several species; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, efforts to aid the recovery of threatened and
26   endangered animal species in Hawaii have produced promising
27   results, such as the captive propagation of Hawaiian crows
28   (`Alala), and unexpected consequences, such as predation of
29   `Alala by Hawaiian hawks (`Io)--both endangered species; and
30   
31        WHEREAS, efforts to aid the recovery of threatened and
32   endangered plant species in Hawaii through horticultural
33   techniques have preserved some fragile species, such as Cooke's
34   koki`o (Kokia cookei), by combining them with hardier root
35   stock but have not been able to produce viable offspring; and
36   

 
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 1        WHEREAS, a great amount of research needs to be conducted
 2   before these propagated animals and plants can be successfully
 3   reintroduced into the wild since:
 4   
 5        (1)  The loss of genetic diversity due to repeated in-
 6             breeding may weaken a species' viability and render
 7             an entire population susceptible to disease; and
 8   
 9        (2)  The environmental conditions that brought them to the
10             verge of extinction in the first place may still
11             exist in the wild;
12   
13   and
14   
15        WHEREAS, there have been discussions about the merits of
16   using limited funds to preserve animal and plant species that
17   may no longer be viable or that may no longer have a habitat in
18   the wild when these funds could be spent on preserving species
19   that are still viable or that still have a habitat; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, there is no better laboratory in the world than
22   the Hawaiian islands where university researchers, regulatory
23   agencies, and policymakers can study the results and discuss
24   the merits of recovery plans for the conservation and survival
25   of threatened and endangered animals and plants; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, there is no other state than Hawaii that has such
28   an urgent need to develop and implement recovery plans for the
29   conservation and survival of threatened and endangered animals
30   and plants, including the identification and protection of
31   critical habitats for these species; now, therefore,
32   
33        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
34   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
35   Representatives concurring, that the President of the United
36   States is requested to establish the State of Hawaii as a
37   global laboratory for research on threatened, endangered, and
38   extinct species issues; and
39   
40        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
41   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the
42   United States, the Secretary of the Interior, the Governor, the
43   Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and

 
 
 
 
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 1   members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________