SR 40: urging the united states government to develop a national biodiversity strategy.

SENATE RESOLUTION

urging the united states government to develop a national biodiversity strategy.

     WHEREAS, the people of Hawai‘i have a deep and enduring relationship with nature, which is central to their cultural, spiritual, and economic well-being, and the State has long prioritized the protection and preservation of its unique ecosystems and biodiversity; and

     WHEREAS, Hawai‘i is home to a significant number of endemic species and habitats of great ecological, cultural, historical, and scientific value that must be protected for current and future generations; and

     WHEREAS, the United States is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis, primarily driven by irresponsible resource management practices that have altered seventy-five percent of terrestrial environments and sixty-six percent of marine environments; directly exploited wildlife and plant species; accelerated climate change; polluted air, land, and water; and introduced invasive species that have devastated native ecosystems; and

     WHEREAS, the ongoing biodiversity crisis threatens approximately one million species with extinction in the coming decades, including over forty percent of amphibians; thirty-three percent of corals, sharks, and marine mammals; over sixty percent of cycads; over thirty percent of conifer trees; and approximately ten percent of all insect species, which will cause significant declines in populations of wild species, including a sixty-eight percent decline in mammal populations; and

     WHEREAS, Hawai‘i has over five hundred fifty endangered species, representing approximately twenty-five percent of the nation's endangered species, yet receives only three percent of federal conservation funding; and

     WHEREAS, seventy-one percent of Hawai‘i's residents support proactive measures to prevent the extinction of endangered species; and

     WHEREAS, the loss of biodiversity poses a direct threat to the security, health, and well-being of Hawai‘i's residents by diminishing critical ecosystem services, including zoonotic disease buffering, pollination, water filtration, soil replenishment, game species provisioning, medicinal resource availability, and recreational opportunities; and

     WHEREAS, for Native Hawaiians, the relationship with ‘āina (land) and native ecosystems is integral to cultural identity, sovereignty, and overall well-being, and traditional Hawaiian ecological knowledge provides unique perspectives essential to effective biodiversity conservation; and

     WHEREAS, the decline in biodiversity disproportionately impacts Native Hawaiian communities due to the genealogical and cultural connections between Kanaka Maoli and ‘āina; and

     WHEREAS, the loss of biodiversity and weakened biosecurity threaten Hawai‘i's endemic species and natural landscapes, increasing vulnerability to natural disasters, such as the Lahaina wildfire, which exemplifies the devastating consequences of replacing native wetland flora and fauna with non-drought- and non-fire-resistant vegetation; and

     WHEREAS, biodiversity preservation is crucial for food system security, the resilience of indigenous crops, and the sustainability of traditional foods and practices; and

     WHEREAS, Governor David Ige previously affirmed the State's commitment to biodiversity conservation at the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Conservation Congress, recognizing the interconnectedness of Indigenous Peoples and biodiversity; and

     WHEREAS, the State has enacted legislation to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2045, and protecting the State's biodiversity will mitigate carbon emissions by enhancing floodwater absorption, buffering against coastal erosion, and improving resilience to extreme weather events; and

     WHEREAS, the United States is not a party to key international biodiversity agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Migratory Species, and does not issue a national biodiversity outlook nor maintain a national biodiversity strategy, unlike many other countries; and

     WHEREAS, addressing the biodiversity crisis requires coordinated action at the global, national, regional, and local levels, and the absence of a national biodiversity strategy hampers effective conservation efforts and collaboration among federal, state, and local governments, Native peoples, private landowners, and other stakeholders; and

     WHEREAS, globally, biosecurity is recognized as essential for protecting economies, cultures, and the environment, and multiple nations have amended their constitutions to enshrine the protection, conservation, and preservation of their natural resources and biodiversity; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that this body urges the United States government to:

     (1)  Establish a national biodiversity strategy to ensure the conservation and restoration of the nation's biodiversity, secure ecosystem services for future generations, advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, set ambitious biodiversity conservation targets, promote equity and justice in conservation efforts, coordinate federal agency actions, and foster collaboration among governments, Indigenous communities, non-governmental organizations, and international partners;

     (2)  Increase public awareness of biodiversity issues and develop the national biodiversity strategy through robust public input, engaging federal and state agencies, Indigenous communities, communities of color, low-income communities, private landowners, and other stakeholders to strengthen biodiversity restoration efforts; and

     (3)  Include in the national biodiversity strategy specific actions to:

          (A)  Support the national goal of conserving at least thirty percent of United States lands and waters by 2030;

          (B)  Establish additional science-based biodiversity conservation targets;

          (C)  Protect and restore threatened, endangered, and at-risk species;

          (D)  Review and enhance existing biodiversity-related laws, plans, and programs to maximize conservation impact and identify necessary legislative or policy changes; and

          (E)  Fund existing and new conservation initiatives to effectively address local stressors, including sediment and nutrient runoff, invasive species, and unsustainable harvesting practices; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Commerce, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Chairperson of the Council on Environmental Quality, Governor, each member of Hawai‘i's Congressional Delegation, and Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

Report Title: 

National Biodiversity Strategy

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1439

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 40

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.R. No. 40 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the United States government to establish a national biodiversity strategy.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy.

     Your Committees find that the State is home to a significant number of endemic species and habitats of great ecological, cultural, historical, and scientific value that must be protected for current and future generations.  Your Committees recognize that the ongoing biodiversity crisis poses a direct threat to the security, health, and well-being of Hawaii's residents by diminishing critical ecosystem services and increasing the State's vulnerability to invasive species and natural disasters.  A national biodiversity security strategy, as urged by this measure, would support the coordination and planning needed to reduce the threat of invasive species and identify the need for additional funding and capacity to manage and protect Hawaii's native species.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 40 and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and Agriculture and Environment,