In a major blow to conservation on Hawai'i I read that the Hawai'i County Council recently voted to ban the use of biocontrols to combat the spread of strawberry guava, which is second only to pigs in the destruction of native ecosystems. Various self-serving anti-conservation groups including a mishmash of groups led by some loony new-age types have opposed control of strawberry guava and have waged a loud and outrageous campaign of lies and fearmongering against the biocontrol project. (even attempting to intimidate the biologists involved) They claim that they will sue biologists, state and federal agencies any conservation organizations for "compensation" for lost fruit, wood, "beauty" and whatever if the biocontrol is allowed. (Who is going to sue THEM for permanent and eternal loss of our native species and native forests? Oh wait, we only protect the pursuit of PROFIT here in the USA, and not the mutual good.) They have offered various impossible hair-brained populist "harvesting" schemes as a false alternative to effective biocontrols, which apparently have succeeded in misleading the public and politicians into thinking there could be "better" ways of "controlling" strawberry guava. Of course these schemes are only meant to mislead, could never happen, and would be even more destructive to the native forests if they did. (Imagine crews of low-paid and poorly trained people stomping around the forest "harvesting" or "controlling" strawberry guava while cutting trails through native understory with their ATVs, bulldozers and machetes, spreading even more weeds further into the forest, smashing native insects, snails and groundcover plants underfoot, and increasing soil erosion.) Meanwhile strawberry guava continues to spread rapidly and silently exterminate native forest ecosystems - once they're gone they're gone forever - but apparently the public doesn't care much about that.
Just when you think people couldn't get any greedier and stupider, they land another jaw-dropper on you. When the new environmental inpact statement for the project is finally released for comment we really need urgent and intelligent support for the project. If biocontrols are blocked politically like this the future of our native ecosystems is very bleak.
Just when you think people couldn't get any greedier and stupider, they land another jaw-dropper on you. When the new environmental inpact statement for the project is finally released for comment we really need urgent and intelligent support for the project. If biocontrols are blocked politically like this the future of our native ecosystems is very bleak.
