ANA, Maui >> Betsy Gagne was traveling through Hana in East Maui in the fall of 1988 when she noticed a miconia tree growing in a botanical garden. SPECIAL REPORT: MICONIA INVASION
Stopping the spread
The state must play catch-up to
rid the isles of the 'noxious weed'Second Of Two Parts
See: Part 1
By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comShe recognized it as a plant that had begun to destroy the rain forest of Tahiti.
"My heart sank. I got sick to my stomach. It was your worst nightmare come true," said Gagne, now executive secretary of Natural Area Reserves System Commission. "The more we looked, the more we found."
Unlike some alien pests, Miconia calvescens found its way into Hawaii legally and passed through a screening process that some wildlife advocates now believe is flawed and in need of change.
Because it was not on the state or federal list of banned noxious weeds, a private collector was able to bring miconia plants into Hawaii in 1957 and give them to nurseries on the Big Island and Maui, according to research by federal officials.
Many in Hawaii, including state quarantine officials, were unaware of how miconia had damaged the Tahitian rain forest.
Gagne and others worked for several years documenting the damage of miconia before persuading Hawaii officials to put it on the list of banned noxious weeds in 1993 -- a process that, she said, slowed the fight against it.Wildlife officials say what might have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to eradicate in 1988 will now cost millions to control.
Some are doubtful miconia ever will be eliminated on Maui and the Big Island.
Groups fighting miconia estimate the cost of eradication on the two islands could be as high as $47 million during the next seven years.
Gagne said it took too long to get miconia on the state list of banned weeds -- an expensive delay.
"You have to convince people that it is a serious threat, and lots of times the thing has escaped and gone out the door by the time that happens," she said.
More inspectors needed
As a gateway into the United States in the center of the Pacific, Hawaii remains a major transshipment point for agricultural produce and a major visitor destination.
But the commerce has come at a significant price to the environment. Scientists say more than 15 new pest species establish themselves in Hawaii each year.
Miconia has been one of them.
Critics say the state Department of Agriculture, responsible for screening alien species coming into Hawaii from the U.S. mainland, was not doing a thorough job.
They noted that during a study funded by the federal government, state agricultural officials conducted intense examinations of mainland air cargo and passengers on Maui.
The inspectors found 934 plant diseases and alien pests in just a three-month period, compared with an average of 1,200 found statewide in a year.
Lyle Wong, head of the state plant industry division, acknowledged that the state needed more inspectors and enclosed inspection facilities on all the islands.
Built-in system failure
State wildlife officials say about 70 percent of all documented invasive plant species in Hawaii have arrived in the state for horticultural use.
Critics say the state and federal systems for reviewing alien plant species, including many ornamentals, is defective.
The state had no ban on miconia at the time it was imported into Hawaii, and the federal government still does not have miconia on its list of noxious weeds.
Critics note there are hundreds of noxious weed species in the world, and many noxious weeds harmful to Hawaii are not on the banned lists for the state or federal government.
They say with only 95 noxious weeds on the federal list and 80 on the state's, the screening system is likely to fail again.
"The federal noxious weed list is very little, and it's really hard to get things added to it," said Lloyd Loope, research biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey.
"There are a lot of species that should be on it. It's hard to do anything in time because by the time (a plant is) causing damage, it's almost impossible to eradicate it."
State botanist Vickie Caraway said the list of banned species focuses on protecting agriculture in Hawaii and does not necessarily protect threatened natural areas.
"They don't have as big an economic impact that you can see as agriculture," she said.
Critics note the system of screening was bound to fail because it did not take into consideration the possibility that inspectors might not have information on all the harmful species in the world.
Reverse method tested
State officials are looking at the possibility of Hawaii adopting a plant-screening system similar to Australia and New Zealand, where only plants on an approved list are allowed into the country or state.
Those wishing to bring in plants not on the list would have to prove the species would not adversely impact the environment before being allowed to import them into Hawaii.
Applicants would be required to fill out forms that government officials use to assess the risk of importing the species.
Some criteria used in assessing the plants include whether they cause significant displacement of native species, deteriorate natural habitats or have a significant adverse impact on human safety and health.
University of Hawaii botanist Curtis Daehler said Hawaii researchers are hoping to use the new system to assess the environmental risks of about 100 plants.
Daehler said the Hawaii study, funded with federal and state funds, is scheduled to be completed by next summer.
New Zealand Department of Conservation plant ecologist Susan Timmins said that under the approved list system, the burden is placed on the importer to prove there will be no negative impact on the environment.
Timmins said to have a list of prohibited plants as a screening device was impractical because no one knew all the species that might be harmful to the environment.
She said the New Zealand system allows government officials to err on the side of the environment.
Jo Ann Johnston, marketing coordinator for the Hawaii Export Nursery Association, said the group wants to be consulted about any changes, but she is sure her members would be willing to support moves to protect the natural environment of Hawaii.
"I think, personally, it's something we need to address," she said.
Gagne said she hopes a better method will be found for screening and banning harmful alien species.
"We need to find a process to facilitate the listing of species, especially if there's something bad here," Gagne said. "If I had my way, it would be guilty until proven innocent."