As part of the critical habitat designation process, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft economic analysis of proposed plant critical habitat on the Big for a 30-day public review period. The document analyzes potential economic effects of listing and designating critical habitat for 47 threatened and endangered species of plants, as required by the Endangered Species Act.
The proposed critical habitat consists of approximately 437,300 acres in 28 units on the Big Island. About half of the acreage is owned by the State, another third by the federal government, and the remaining by private landowners. The proposed critical habitat rule was published in the Federal Register on May 28, 2002.
The economic analysis identifies and analyzes the potential economic effects and benefits of the critical habitat designations for the 47 plant species over the next 10 years. The report focuses on the costs related to the requirement that federal agencies must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service whenever they propose a project that may harm listed species or destroy or appreciably diminish the value of critical habitat for the survival and recovery of the species.
The draft analysis predicts moderate direct economic costs for consultations required by the plant species
