HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	42
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, TO DOCUMENT AND COLLECT DATA IDENTIFYING ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND REGULATORY CONSEQUENCES OF CROP DEGRADATION CAUSED BY INVASIVE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES IN HAWAII.

     WHEREAS, invasive and endangered species have negative impacts on Hawaii crop and animal production, including declining yields and depressed returns from the cultivation of agricultural products; and

     WHEREAS, invasive and endangered species are affecting farmers statewide, and negative impacts are particularly acute where the invasive and endangered species are relatively recently introduced and traditional methods for control have not been established; and

     WHEREAS, invasive and endangered species directly affect the growing of crops for local consumption and directly impact Hawaii farmers' ability to supply fresh local crops to people in the State; and

     WHEREAS, while farmers and ranchers have experienced the negative impacts of invasive and endangered species, they don't necessarily have the training to document the economic and agricultural harm being caused by these damaging pests; and

     WHEREAS, documenting the impacts of invasive and endangered species on Hawaii agriculture is necessary to facilitate a unified federal, state, and county effort to address this agricultural threat; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, is requested to document and collect data identifying economic, environmental, and regulatory consequences of crop degradation caused by invasive and endangered species in Hawaii; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture, the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Cooperative Extension Service and other scientific researchers at the University of Hawaii, and the Invasive Species Committees on each respective island, is requested to conduct population assessments of invasive and endangered species affecting Hawaii's agricultural industry; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, in conducting population assessments, is requested to examine the following:

     (1)  Population sizes, geographical ranges, and distributions of invasive and endangered species;

     (2)  Impacts of invasive and endangered species on agricultural crops and on nonagricultural land uses, including botanical gardens, golf courses, and watershed areas;

     (3)  Whether populations of invasive and endangered species travel from watershed and wildlife habitats to areas populated and cultivated by people in order to feed;

     (4)  The roosting and shelter areas of invasive and endangered species, in relation to their feeding areas; and

     (5)  The rates at which populations of invasive and endangered species are increasing or decreasing; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, is requested to develop best management practices to control, eradicate, or relocate invasive and endangered species from Hawaii's agricultural areas, including:

     (1)  Protocols to protect farms and ranches from the negative impacts of invasive and endangered species, control invasive species in a humane manner, and assist appropriate wildlife agencies in developing habitats for Hawaii's endangered species; and

     (2)  Public education protocols for explaining the negative impacts of invasive and endangered species on agriculture and the steps taken by the Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, to address those negative impacts; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture and the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

Report Title: 

Invasive and Endangered Species; Crop Degradation Study