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Jialu Hu 

Kristie Nourrie 

April 3,2020 

English 11 Sec C 

Invasive Species’ Negative Impacts on Hawaii Islands  

Did you know that invasive species could bring more damages to our islands than

natural disasters? They destroyed the numerous infrastructures, endangered local species, and

cause illnesses.In fact, according to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, invasive species

could cost $2.14 billion a year in damaging infrastructures and medical costs.(HISC

2019) Furthermore, due to Hawaii’s unique position as an island with so many native species,

it is especially vulnerable to the threats of invasive species among almost all states. This

scene had been happened around the world.  Invasive species has caused more than 42

percent of species to become threatened or endangered based on the statistics from the

National Wildlife Federation and this could be happened without intensive control

and prevention.(NWF) 

Over the years, many invasive species have already rooted in the islands and are hard

to eradicate. However, with the potential efforts of everyone and contribution from all over

the states, there are many ways to prevent the further spread of invasive species as well as

control those who are already on the island. From the comprehensive research and detailed

interview with professionals in the field around the topic of the threats of invasive species to

Hawaii. A solution was proposed to solve the problem through raising public awareness. 

 
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Invasive Species caused a significant amount of negative impacts on the Hawaii

Islands, which directly leads to native species to extinction, harm the health of the ecosystem

and humans, and cause large amounts of economic loss.  

By outcompeting the resources with native species and the natural vulnerability of

Hawaiian native species due to lack of defensive mechanism, invasive species directly leads

to the extinction of native species. The innate danger of invasive species had already

been observed in many parts of the world based on Jennifer Klos in Ted-ED. In Australia,

European rabbits almost destroyed all the food supply for herbivore species by eating

enormous amounts of plants. In America, vines almost devoured the south due to rapid

growth in mild climate. To qualify “invasive”, this species must be an alien species which are

detrimental to the human, ecosystem, or both. Invasive species tend to thrive because lacking

the defensive mechanism from the evolution, native species failed to compete with invasive

species. Invasive species also caused many tragedies in Hawaii. According to Steve Olsen,

author of the article Evolution in Hawaii: a Supplement to Teaching about Evolution and the

Nature of Science, “Since humans arrived in Hawaii, at least 10 percent of the native

Hawaiian plants have gone extinct, and an additional 40 to 50 percent are threatened or

endangered.” Invasive species spread mainly through the introduction of new species and

spread through human activities. During an interview, Joshua Ashwood, a member of the

Hawaii Invasive Species Council, said: “We had high proportions of invasive species

problems in Hawaii compared to other states. Because our ecosystem is really stable, we have

a really good growing condition for lots of them. Hawaii had lots of threatened and

endangered species, so we had a lot to lose by having invasive species here.” In addition, by

leaving the natural enemy and other limiting factors in the original ecosystem, invasive

species  
  

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tend to thrive in those new places. This further strengthened the importance of protecting

native species from invasive species’ existence. 

Invasive species, directly and indirectly, causing tremendous damage to Hawaii’s

economic system, which is largely based on the number of tourists each year in admiring of

Hawaii’s unique environmental system, unparalleled climate, and the amount of unique

indigenous species. According to Invasive Species 101 National Graphic: “Invasive Species

cost the global economy over a trillion-dollar each year.”(Invasive Species 2019)  This is the

direct way invasive species consumed the economy evidenced by national observation. In the

interview with Nate Dube, the manager of the Oahu Invasive Species Committee, he affirmed

that invasive species is comparable to the economic loss caused by natural disasters

specifically in Hawaii: “It is kind of hard to compare two things that are totally different. But

in general: yes. I mean, typically for invasive species you have a long-term impact than a

natural disaster. For example, when a flood came, it damages all the things. But foreign

species need to be deal with on a daily basis for a long period of time. Sometimes decades,

sometimes centuries.” As a voluntary organization in collaboration with state, federal, and

private agencies, Oahu Invasive Species Committee is one of the most influential and

professional invasive species control organizations in Hawaii, and the quote displayed above

their conclusion on the economic loss caused by invasive species.  During the conversation

with Joshua Ashwood, he provided an important example of little fire ants and emphasized it

is causing $200 million damage on the Big Island. This provides a vivid example of the

extent of economic loss in our islands with only one invasive species.  Based on the survey of

Bishop Museum, with over 90% of the terrestrial species endemic and a total of about 11,000

endemic species (Bishop Museum 2015). Native  

  

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species are an important factor to attract tourists to visit. But with the number of native

species decreasing due to invasive ones, Hawaii would also indirectly suffer from economic

loss. 

Besides the economic loss and elimination of native species, invasive species also

posed a significant threat to the human body and the environment. A peer-reviewed article

Invasive Species Triggers a Massive loss of Ecosystem Services through a Trophic Cascade

listed the extent of the impact that invasive species could cause in the environmental system:

“Since the detection of Bythotrephes in 2009, average water clarity in Lake Mendota

has declined by 0.9 m (Fig. 2F) alongside a 60% reduction in D. Pulicaria biomass.” This

source directly proves that the presence of Bythotrephs, an invasive species, the landscape,

and the ecosystem of the lake directly hand a downturn and being negatively impacted. The

sources mentioned the impacts include a decline in average water clarity, a 60% reduction in

biomass, and a decrease in total phosphorus. That dramatic effect happened not only to affect

the environment but also deeply affect other animal’s living conditions and deeply support

the point that invasive species harm the health of the environment. (Walsh 2016) Nancy

Lauer, the writer of the article Federal Policies Threaten Hawaii’s Flora, Fauna, emphasized

the impact of the invasive animal to the environment:” “Whole flocks of sand-nesting birds

have been ravaged by pet dogs let off the leash. Feral cats and mosquitoes pose constant

threats to endemic songbirds, and fast-growing alien plants and trees crowd out the native

rainforests.”(Lauer 2019) The author listed types of impacts caused by pet dogs, mosquitos,

cats, and plants and directly proves that the impact of invasive species in Hawaiian Islands. In

the conversation with the Ashwood, he also mentioned  

 
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how mosquito, an invasive species, carries diseases such as yellow fever. This established the

connection between invasive species and human health. Considered all the impacts that

invasive species had toward the environment, ecosystem, animal, and human, it is especially

important to control and prevent invasive species. 

To raise public awareness is one of the most important strategies to control invasive

species. This problem is too widespread and not only require the efforts from expertise, but

also the daily precaution of everyone to prevent the future spread of invasive species in

Hawaii. Prior to the research project, I have always enjoyed seeing all the unique beautiful

plants and animals living in the islands as I walk on the streets with my families and saw the

birds with red feathers singing every morning outside my window. As I research deeper into

the topic, I learned more and more about the variety of native species in the islands and the

unique geography opportunity of Hawaii makes it especially vulnerable to the invasive

species. During my interviews with the two professionals in the field, they both mentioned

many simple steps that regular people can take in daily life to prevent the spread of invasive

species and that combined can hugely help to solve the problem. I found that there are experts

and professors using their knowledge to help prevent and control the native species but lack

the essential part in advocating normal people to participate in this activity. Many people lack

the knowledge of identifying native species and invasive species and don’t know what they

can do to prevent further spreading invasive species or help the cause in daily life.

The ultimate goal of this project is to get more people aware of the importance of protecting

native species and how to combat the invasive species from daily life. My actions include the

creation of a pamphlet with the target invasive species that need to report  

 
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and be alert and posters with all the steps people could take when they are hiking and fishing

to prevent the transport of invasive species. I made a list of materials and are ready

to purchase them. After the COVID-19 is over and the pamphlet and the posters are finished,

they will be distributed to people along with a DIY storage box decorated with handmade

native plants as well as donate the brochures to the invasive species control organizations.   

The process of the solutionary project is highly meaningful and important to me. It

leads me to evaluate all kinds of problems existing in society, brainstorm the solutions to

solve the problems and pick one topic that I am most interested in, and have the ability

to solve.  The extensive research leads me to discover the environment surrounded me more

deeply. In before, I have never imagined that as much as 90% invasive species in the lands of

Hawaii islands are endemic. This means that they only survived in Hawaii and will disappear

in the world once they are extinct in Hawaii. This moved me to cherish every plant and the

animals I saw in daily life, knowing the values of their lives. The experience is also

challenging. The hardest part is to organize all the separate information gathered throughout

the research process into one thesis-driven essay. Yet it is especially fulfilling to see how the

evidence linked together and reached the solution about the impact of invasive species in

Hawaii. Before I start the project, I usually consider that the only impact invasive species

have is to outcompete against native species. However, after the process, I learned many

hidden negative impacts that invasive species had, such as divert government’s funding that

could be used in other important purposes and spreading new diseases into a place. It is also a

great opportunity to talk to professionals in the field and absorb their perspective on the

problem and evaluate what can I do as an ordinary person living in Hawaii based on the new

knowledge I received. As a traveler who had traveled to more than six countries and hundreds

of places, this experience leads me to be more cautious with all my actions to use strategies
such as cleaning the shoes and remove all soils in the prevention of bringing seeds of invasive

species from one place to other.