Restoring Balance to Hawaii’s Forests: Biological Control of Invasive Plants

Non-native invasive plants cause enormous damage to native Hawaiian ecosystems and agricultural lands. Weeds like strawberry guava, Christmas berry, albizia, Himalayan ginger, miconia and Koster’s curse have spread across vast areas. They outcompete and displace native species, and impede agriculture. These invaders transform Hawaii’s landscapes, compromise access, reduce biodiversity, and degrade watersheds. Controlling these invasive plants by hand or with herbicides at large scales and in remote areas is simply not practical. Since 1984, scientists at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry have been carefully researching, testing, and monitoring insect species that can provide targeted, long-term weed control at an island-wide scale.