Hawai‘i––Crossroads and Fiery Epicenter

by Peter Riggs

Ecologically, Hawaii’s physical remoteness has been both blessing and curse. Blessing, because Hawai‘i is the world’s most spectacular evolutionary laboratory, with levels of speciation and endemism higher even than those found in the Galapagos. Curse, in that remoteness makes the Islands’ native flora and fauna exceptionally vulnerable to depredations resulting from the introduction of alien species.

And while physically remote from any continent, Hawaii’s position equidistant from both Asia and North America means that Hawai‘i is the center-pivot in the volcanic “Ring of Fire” circling the Pacific, a crossroads of many cultures and influences. This center position in the Pacific Rim is again both blessing and curse; just as key ecological processes are dramatically amplified in island systems, so too are the forces of globalization found in stark, concentrated form in Hawai‘i. The Hawaiian vulnerability to alien invasive species introductions, resulting wittingly or unwittingly from trade; the use of Hawai‘i as a forward-deployment base for US military interests in the Pacific; and the enormous land- and water-use pressures that stem from tourism’s importance to Hawaii’s economy all complicate the question of how Hawai‘i extend sits Aloha welcome to the world in this age of globalization while preserving its essential character and ecological integrity.

But the positive processes of globalization are also found in concentrated form in Hawai‘i. Demographically, Hawai‘i is a peek at America’s future: with no dominant ethnic group on the islands, Hawaii’s citizens draw upon a rich fusion of cultural traditions to forge identities both proudly local and comfortably international. Hawaii’s indigenous culture has strong presence in the everyday lives of most Hawaiian citizens, and Hawaii is the only state with two official languages—English and Hawaiian. Hawaii is also where the United States meets Asia. Finally, Hawai‘i is a place where cultural concerns are front-and-center in its environmental movement, where issues of indigenous rights, economic development, and conservation biology interweave to a remarkable degree.

It is with these unique characteristics in mind that the Environmental Grantmakers Association chose Kaua‘i as the site of its 2004 Fall Retreat, and the theme for this years gathering: “No Movement is an Island.”