Editor’s note: This Community Voice was one of numerous entries in our recently concluded Emerging Writers Contest.

There is a troubling paradox about nature in Hawaii.

Our natural beauty is celebrated worldwide and is the reason for tourism, the primary driver of the state economy. Yet everywhere you look, the facilities and amenities are deteriorating and barely maintained.

In addition to their role in attracting visitors, the stunning mountains and beaches provide sustenance, recreation, and the vibrant backdrop for life in the islands, and yet they are neglected by the state government, which largely takes them for granted.

This is a well-known problem that is acknowledged by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, a 2015 survey and study by the DLNR, accurately identified the challenges faced by the state.

The biggest issue was “Quality and Condition of Facilities,” particularly noting the condition of restrooms at public beaches. The second issue was “Hiking Trail Demand and Use.” The number of trails maintained by the state is only a small fraction of the total and even those are unevenly maintained.

Another issue is “Uncertain and Inadequate Financial Support.” This is the root cause of these other issues and illustrates the neglect by the state government. All of this suggests a systemic problem that has yet to be seriously addressed, although the issue has been raised repeatedly by the media.

Let me provide a few examples and suggest a paradigm shift that has the potential to reframe how we value our natural areas relative to other concerns

Laniakea (aka) Turtle Beach

Laniakea beach has become a major destination for tourist who want to see sea turtles. As the beach has grown in popularity, the number of visitors has completely overwhelmed the infrastructure, creating a major headache for locals.

Tourists park along Kamehameha Highway and cross the road wherever they can. As a result, “turtle traffic” can be backed up for miles in either direction, adding 20-30 minutes to a trip for North Shore residents. In December 2013, the state put up barriers to prevent all parking. In 2015, in response to a lawsuit from local surfers, a judge determined that the state had not yet developed a plan to permanently address the issue and ordered the barriers removed.

Currently, the problem remains unaddressed. Perhaps, from the perspective of the Department of Transportation, the cost of the proposed modification is not worth it for the number of residents on the North Shore. What this assumptions fails to take into account is the extent to which the North Shore is an essential piece of Oahu’s appeal as a tourist destination and a natural resource for the entire island. Thus the problem inflicted on this community is a direct result of other benefits accrued to the rest of the state.

Haiku Stairs

A detailed history of the Haiku Stairs is too complicated to revisit here. Simply put, Haiku Stairs is a world-class hike, comparable to Half Dome in Yosemite, or Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park — a hike that people would visit Oahu just to have to the opportunity to do.

And yet, instead of figuring out how to provide access, the Board of Water Supply, which owns the land beneath the stairs, is proposing to remove them so it does not have to manage them. This is despite the fact that the Friends of Haiku Stairs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to their preservation, has offered to manage the Haiku Stairs for the state.

Although I believe the state has a constitutional and moral obligation to protect our natural resources and provide access to the people of the state, the whole issue might be clearer to lawmakers if examined from a purely economic perspective. There is a growing body of research that calculates the economic value of outdoor recreational areas so that they can be measured against other priorities.

For example, a travel cost study by Chad Nelsen of the Surfrider Foundation conservatively estimated that Trestles, a surf spot in Southern California, generated $8-13 million annually for the local economy. If we assumed 1,000 visitors per day at Laniakea, each spending $20-30 for gas, a portion of their rental car, and a meal or shopping in Haleiwa, we come out with a similar $7-10 million generated for the local economy.

When you add to this the gas and time wasted by residents stuck in traffic, perhaps another negative $10-15 million, then suddenly the cost to fix the highway seems very reasonable, especially since these are recurring costs, whereas the fix is a one-time expense. A similar study for Haiku Stairs would likely yield equally compelling results.

User fees make sense at places like Haiku Stairs.

Another indication that these resources are being undervalued is the success of user fees where they have been implemented. Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head and Manoa Falls all show that a small fee for visitors and tour operators can be very successful in generating money to minimize the environmental impacts on a well-loved place. User fees make sense at places like Haiku Stairs, where you have a highly desirable destination that can only accommodate a limited number of people.

The lack of action on these and similar problems is less about money than it is about priorities. The most recent DLNR budget of roughly $170 million accounted for only 1.2 percent of the state budget. Even though the DLNR’s budget has risen significantly in the past few years, it remains inadequate.

In contrast, the Hawaii Tourism Authority has a budget of $88 million dollars to spend encouraging people to come to Hawaii at a time when many are wondering whether we actually need more visitors at all. A failed 2018 Senate bill proposed transferring 15 percent of the HTA’s budget to the DLNR. The state also received $546 million in transient accommodation taxes in the fiscal year 2018. Since these funds come directly from tourism, more of them should be directed to protecting the state’s natural resources that tourists are coming to enjoy and that are impacted by the additional visitors.

Dangerous Trends

Traditionally, tourism on Oahu has centered around beaches of Waikiki and the large resorts on the south shore, where the tourist infrastructure is well developed. However, as tourism has shifted with visitors wanting a more natural and local experience, the rural areas, particularly the North Shore and mountains, have become an increasingly important part of Oahu’s appeal.

A similar trend is playing out on the neighbor islands. The rise of social media has accelerated this trend as visitors have more information to seek out hard-to-find spots they have seen on social media.

Given these trends, the state’s neglect of these areas has become increasingly dangerous and misguided, even from a purely economic perspective. When we add in the economically immeasurable, life-sustaining roles these natural resources play in the lives of locals, their continued neglect is incomprehensible.