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THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  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

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        WHEREAS, a great amount of research needs to be conducted
 3   before these propagated animals and plants can be successfully
 4   reintroduced into the wild since:
 5   
 6        (1)  The loss of genetic diversity due to repeated in-
 7             breeding may weaken a species' viability and render
 8             an entire population susceptible to disease; and
 9   
10        (2)  The environmental conditions that brought them to the
11             verge of extinction in the first place may still
12             exist in the wild;
13   
14   and
15   
16        WHEREAS, there have been discussions about the merits of
17   using limited funds to preserve animal and plant species that
18   may no longer be viable or that may no longer have a habitat in
19   the wild when these funds could be spent on preserving species
20   that are still viable or that still have a habitat; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, there is no better laboratory in the world than
23   the Hawaiian islands where university researchers, regulatory
24   agencies, and policymakers can study the results and discuss
25   the merits of recovery plans for the conservation and survival
26   of threatened and endangered animals and plants; and
27   
28        WHEREAS, there is no other state than Hawaii that has such
29   an urgent need to develop and implement recovery plans for the
30   conservation and survival of threatened and endangered animals
31   and plants, including the identification and protection of
32   critical habitats for these species; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, in 1997, the Legislature passed probably the most
35   innovative endangered species legislation in the United States,
36   especially with regard to incentives for private landowners to
37   gain their voluntary cooperation in cooperative recovery
38   efforts; and
39   
40        WHEREAS, an opportunity exists for immediate action in the
41   development of large regional landscape conservation plans that
42   would include a mix of federal (Departments of Interior and

 
 
 
 
 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   Defense), State, and private land owners; and
 2   
 3        WHEREAS, the Legislature is keenly interested in
 4   transforming the process of recovering endangered species from
 5   a regulatory burden to an economically viable land use; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, Hawaii is well-positioned in both its well-
 8   established tourism and new developing forestry sectors to
 9   provide an ecotourism and reforestation context for creating
10   habitat and funding recovery efforts, especially on private
11   lands; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, with the support and encouragement of the State
14   and Federal governments, the State can create the partnerships
15   with private industry that will be a model for endangered
16   species recovery, while addressing the nation's greatest
17   endangered species challenges; now, therefore,
18   
19        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
20   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, that the
21   President of the United States is requested to establish the
22   State of Hawaii as a global laboratory for research on
23   threatened, endangered, and extinct species issues; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the United
26   States is urged to encourage a coalition of federal agencies
27   including, but not limited to, the United States Departments of
28   Defense, Interior, and Agriculture, to develop a strategy and
29   five-year plan in partnership with the State of Hawaii, to
30   protect and enhance Hawaii's unique species and establish the
31   framework to allow creative solutions, increase public support
32   and understanding, and encourage partnerships; and
33   
34        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
35   Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United
36   States, the Secretary of the Interior, the Governor, the
37   Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and
38   members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.