The ecologic/socioeconomic interface of biofuel development in Hawaii : silviculture on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa

Author:

Kasturi, Prahlad, East-West Environment and Policy Institute (Honolulu Hawaii),

Title:

The ecologic/socioeconomic interface of biofuel development in Hawaii : silviculture on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa

Year:

1981

Pages:

15 p.

Subject:

Biomass energy Forests and forestry Hawaii Island

Summary:

This paper discusses the initiation of biofuel development activity in Hawaii's ecosystem; assesses its potential impact on the flow of environmental goods and amenity services and develops strategies for optimal use and control of the environments. The tradeoffs between benefits derived from preserving virgin lands and the costs associated with regulating commercial use of such lands are dealt with in an intertemporal and intergenerational context. A case study of the environments environmental impacts of energy tree plantations on the Big Island of Hawaii is presented. This is accomplished by applying a modified version of the Arizona Economic and Environmental Tradeoff Model (ATOM) to various landsites identified as being favorable for biomass production by the Biomass Energy Study team (1977). The implications for developing countries in Asia and the Pacific that are presently formulating plans for energy self sufficiency via the biomass option is noted.

Collection:

Monographs