A draft analysis of the potential economic effects and benefits of critical habitat designations for 83 threatened and endangered native species on Kaua’i Ni’ihau was released Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency is proposing to add
A draft analysis of the potential economic effects and benefits of critical habitat designations for 83 threatened and endangered native species on Kaua’i Ni’ihau was released Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency is proposing to add a federal land use restriction on about 99,000 acres of Kaua’i and Ni’ihau in a plan they say will protect the plants.
Creation of the plan is the result of a lawsuit filed by an environmental group based in Honolulu through Earthjustice, an environmental legal action organization that is closely aligned with the Sierra Club. The purpose of the suit was to enforce sections of the Endangered Species Act and focuses on situations when federal funds, or a federal permit, is required for projects on designated lands.
A meeting was held last week on Kaua’i to clarify details of the plan.
“We encourage everyone interested in these proposed designations to review the economic analysis, as well as the full proposal, and provide their comments to us,” said Paul Henson, field supervisor for the FWS’s Pacific Islands office. “At the same time we are asking for comments on the draft economic analysis we are re-opening the comment period on the proposed designation to give people another chance to voice their views.”
The economic analysis looks out 10 years and estimates costs for potential impacts to private landowners and federal, state and local governments. The report includes probable costs for consultations, project modifications, the development of biological assessments and environmental impact reports, technical assistance and administrative tasks.
The FWS said most of the land covered in the report is mountainous and rugged and unsuitable for development, farming or other economic uses. However, some of the privately-owned sites covered are near populated areas and could be developed for resorts and other uses.
The biggest cost incurred if the plan is implemented would probably be at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, according to a FWS press release. At PMRF consultations and project modifications would cost between $.83 million and $1.9 million over the next ten years, the report said. Private landowners would probably face between $.95 million and $2.5 million due to implementing the critical habitat land use requirements.
Losses in the value of land could be high for some landowners. In a worst case scenario, one parcel of privately-owned land could face a loss in value of up to $10 million, if the land was rezoned by the County of Kaua’i, according to the FWS press release.
Indirect economic losses could come, too, if the critical habitat designation causes the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to reduce hunting lands, according to the FWS statement.
The positive economic side of the critical habitat designation, according to the report, include ecological improvements, better sitting of projects by developers, preservation of plants people value, cutting back on mosquitoes, less erosion, better survival of native wildlife, healthier watersheds, cleaner and healthier streams and shorelines, and cleaner beaches.
In addition, off-island funds may be available to fund conservation plans once the critical habitat designation is in place, providing an economic boost, according to the FWS statement.
The draft economic analysis was published in Tuesday’s Federal Register. The analysis, and a critical habitat report for Kaua’i and Ni’ihau, is available online at http://pacificislands.fws.gov/wesa/endspindex.html.
Copies may also be obtained by calling the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Honolulu office at 808-541-3441.
Comments may be sent until June 27 to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Office, 300 Ala Moana Blvd. Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu HI 96850, or via e-mail to kani_crithab@rl.fws.gov.
