Don't plant invasive species in Hawaii!
A recent (1999) Executive Order by the President of the United States recognizes the nationwide problem of harmful invasive non-native species. According to a recent U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment publication, "[b]y many measures, the Hawaiian Islands represent the worst-case example of the Nation's NIS [non-indigenous species] problem." Also, "...Hawaii, the Nation's so-called extinction capital, has the greatest concentration of threatened and endangered species in the United States.... ...NIS have been identified as an important, if not the most important, current threat." Hawaii, according to the OTA report, is "especially vulnerable to ecological invasions" because of the uniqueness of island ecology; its tropical climate; and the fact that it an international transportation hub.
In light of this information, planting guidelines for landscaping should be developed by local interest groups and/or governments, and these guidelines should be heeded by all. Responsible individuals and landscapers should not plant known invasive species in Hawaii.
[Alien Species In Hawaii]
[HEAR project]
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This page was created on 17 November 1999 by PT, and was last updated on
17 November 1999
by PT.
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