A draft economic analysis for proposed critical habitat in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands has been released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a 30-day public review period. The document analyzes potential economic effects of designating critical habitat on Nihoa, Necker, and Laysan Islands for five endangered species of plants.
The proposed critical habitat includes the entire islands or about 1,232 acres. All three islands are within the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1909 and administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The critical habitat was proposed in on May 14, 2002, for Amaranthus brownii, Mariscus pennatiformis, Pritchardia remota (loulu), Schiedea verticillata, and Sesbania tomentosa (`ohai). If finalized, it would include portions of already designated critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal from the water to the beach crest vegetation.
The draft economic analysis indicates only minor economic impacts and negligible benefits are expected from the designation of critical habitat on these islands. Except for small field camps on Laysan Island, these islands are uninhabited, and human activities are conservation and research-oriented. Over a period of 10 years, costs associated with plant critical habitat are estimated to be less than $20,000.
The Endangered Species Act requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to consider potential economic impacts when determining whether or not to designate critical habitat. If the benefits of excluding an area outweigh the benefits of including it, the Service may exclude an area from critical habitat, unless the exclusion would result in the extinction of the species.
Critical habitat refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management considerations. A designation does not set up a preserve or refuge and only applies to situations where Federal funding or a Federal permit is involved. It has no impact on landowners taking actions on their land that do not involve Federal funding or permits.
The draft economic analysis was developed by Research Solutions, LLC, a Honolulu-based economic consulting firm, under a subcontract with Industrial Economics, Incorporated, of Massachusetts.
The public comment period for the draft economic analysis and the proposed rule to designate critical habitat will close on October 15. Copies of the documents are available on the Internet at http://pacificislands.fws.gov"> or by calling the Fish and Wildlife Service in Honolulu at 808 541 3441.
Comments may be submitted to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850; or via electronic mail to NWHI_crithab@r1.fws.gov">. Previously submitted comments regarding the proposal to establish critical habitat need not be resubmitted.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
