The Nature Conservancy: Hawai'i Voters Agree: Tourists Should Pay To Protect Our Islands' Natural Resources

New Milford CT

18 February, 2022

4:49 AM

Description

Press release from The Nature Conservancy: February 18, 2022 Hawai'i voters overwhelmingly agree that tourists should pay their fair share to maintain and manage natural and cultural resources. Fully 88% of voters — nearly 9 out of 10 — agree with this assertion and nearly two-thirds (63%) "strongly agree." A recent survey found that two thirds of Hawai'i voters support a $50 per person "green fee" for visitors who use state and county beaches, parks and trails to fund programs to protect and restore land, water, wildlife and cultural resources impacted by tourism. This year, bills establishing the per person green fee have been introduced in the House and Senate, thanks to Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, Speaker Scott Saiki and Environmental Legislative Caucus Chairs Senator Mike Gabbard and Representative Nicole Lowen. On Friday, February 11, the Senate Committees on Water and Land and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism will hold a joint hearing on SB 3192. Although Hawaiʻi's natural beauty is its top attraction, management and conservation efforts receive less than 1% of the state's annual budget. A green fee could help close Hawaiʻi's conservation funding gap, which has been estimated at $360 million annually. With an estimated 10 million tourists visiting our islands annually, a $50 per person green fee could generate $500 million in conservation revenue each year, creating local jobs and protecting Hawaii's irreplaceable natural and cultural resources, including the forested watersheds that generate the islands' only source of fresh drinking water and the reefs that protect more than $830 million worth of coastal infrastructure each year, according to a USGS report. Voters especially value investments in coral reefs, forests, beaches, and coasts — all of which were supported by three in five voters. The list below comprises voter rankings for proposed uses of the visitor green fee. 85% support protecting and preserving our beaches and coasts 84% support protecting and restoring coral reefs 79% support protecting and restoring native forests 78% support planting native trees 78% support obtaining federal matching funds to protect land, water, and wildlife 76% support restoring wetland and coastal areas, and reefs that provide protection against floods and sea-level rise 74% support removing and controlling invasive species 73% support providing funding to community groups to protect, restore, and manage local fisheries, coral reefs, and wildlife habitat 71% support upgrading cesspools and septic tanks to reduce water pollution 66% support providing funding to community groups to protect cultural resources and revive traditional agriculture and aquaculture 64% support creating green jobs in conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and agriculture 62% support restoring and maintaining our hiking trails The poll was commissioned by The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land and Resources Legacy Fund. The poll was conducted by FM3 and included 1,088 online and telephone (landline and wireless) interviews with Hawai'i voters across all islands. The margin of sampling error for the study is +/-4.0% at the 95% confidence level; margins of error for population subgroups within the sample will be higher. Due to rounding, not all totals will sum to 100%. This press release was produced by The Nature Conservancy. The views expressed here are the author's own.