History and Current Status of Invasive Species Management Efforts in the Hawaiian Islands
Partner organization: Hawai‘i Project Center
Team members: Sabine Garcia (biology & biotechnology ’22), Marissa Langille (mechanical engineering ’22), Jessica Netto (biomedical engineering ’22), Lauren Sowerbutts (robotics engineering ’22)
Executive Summary: Invasive species are non-native species that threaten the environment, economy, and health of humans, plants, and animals (Beck et al., 2008; Stein & Flack, 1996; Prentis et al., 2008). The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands has made them highly susceptible to the negative impacts of invasive species (Rago & Sugano, 2015). Management efforts aim to mitigate these devastating effects (Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, 2015). A network of federal government, state government, non-profit, university, partnership, and private-sector organizations exists in Hawai‘i to focus on invasive species research and management. The project goal was to examine how invasive species management agencies and initiatives are organized to combat invasive species in Hawai‘i. We completed three objectives to achieve the project goal.
Our first objective was to characterize and analyze organizations involved in past and present invasive species research and management in Hawai‘i. To achieve this objective, we researched organizations using publicly available resources. Our team also conducted semi- structured interviews with 25 organizations involved in invasive species management. We used the preliminary research and interview information to populate characterization profiles and analysis tables for each organization (see Appendices C.1-C.25). Next, we used thematic coding to identify several common themes regarding organizational operations and the current state of invasive species management in Hawai‘i. Many organizations mentioned the role of climate change, a lack of funding and capacity, the impact of COVID-19, issues in biosecurity, the use of biocontrol, and the management focuses within their organizations. Based on the interviews and research, our team determined that many invasive species management organizations have different mission statements and responsibilities but work synergistically towards protecting the precious resources in Hawai‘i.
Our second objective was to analyze collaboration among invasive species organizations in Hawai‘i. To achieve this objective, we used our research and interview information to create two visual representations of the organization network. We constructed a social network analysis, found in Appendix D, to display the individual organizations and the extent of their interactions with other organizations in the network. We color-coded the ties between organizations based on five degrees of collaboration: networking, coordinating, cooperating, collaborating, and integrating. We also included a classification for insufficient information, where there was a known interaction but not enough information to make a distinction. Based on the social network analysis, there is a vast network of invasive species management organizations interacting in Hawai‘i, but few organizations are fully collaborating. The social network analysis is not comprehensive of the entire network, as it only includes organizations we interviewed and their partners. We must also consider the inherent bias since we have more information about the collaborative efforts of the organizations we interviewed. Despite these limitations, the social network analysis helps identify some of the principal organizations involved in invasive species management in Hawai‘i.
We also created a block analysis, Figure 1, to visualize the interactions among and within each organization type. We calculated the thicknesses of the lines using data from the social network analysis. The thicker the line, the more interactions there are among organizations of the indicated types. We determined that partnership organizations have the most internal and external interactions with other organization types, while federal and state agencies tend to interact more internally. Universities and non-profit organizations have fewer ties than partnerships, and we inferred that this was due to their limited resources and localized role within invasive species management. Organizations in the “other” category have the least amount of ties, which could be because we did not interview organizations in the “other” category and do not know the full extent of their collaboration. Overall, most organizations are collaborating more internally than with organizations of different types. The block analysis shows, more generally, how organizations are interacting within the invasive species network.
Additionally, we identified several common themes regarding the current state of collaboration among invasive species management organizations in Hawai‘i. Many organizations mentioned positive themes such as effective collaboration strategies among the organizations, strong communication within the state conservation community, and the importance of the public within invasive species management. The organizations also discussed issues such as a lack of communication between Hawaiian invasive species management organizations and the federal government, a lack of invasive species education provided to landscapers and nurseries, and collaboration issues among organizations.
Finally, our third objective was to outline opportunities for WPI Hawai‘i Project Center involvement with invasive species management organizations on O‘ahu. To achieve this objective, we used the interviews to identify organizations interested in working with WPI students through the WPI Hawai‘i Project Center. We then created a map, Figure 7 in Section 3.3, to indicate which of the interested organizations have locations on O‘ahu.
Based on our results, we made two recommendations for the Hawai‘i Project Center director. We recommend WPI students work with federal government organizations if the project focuses on increasing effective collaboration among the organizations involved in invasive species management. We also recommend the WPI Hawai‘i Project Center director contact the organizations on O‘ahu that expressed interest in working with WPI students in the future because the WPI Hawai‘i Project Center will be located on O‘ahu the following year.
Our team concluded that the network of invasive species management organizations in Hawai‘i must continue collaborating and increase collaboration in certain areas for effective invasive species management. We intend to provide a resource for organizations involved in invasive species management and the Hawai‘i Project Center director to learn about other organizations in the network and establish connections between groups to increase collaboration. We hope this project helps organizations involved in the network and the WPI Hawai‘i Project Center director gain a deeper understanding of the structured network of invasive species management organizations in Hawai‘i. We also hope that our project identifies areas for organizations to increase collaboration and improve operations within the invasive species management network.