Invasive Plants: Hawaii’s Growing Problem & What We Can Do About It

The Weed risk assessment (WRA) helps professionals and residents make informed decisions that will reduce the economic and ecological harm caused by invasive plants in Hawai`i and on other Pacific Islands. WRA is a proactive tool to identify plants that pose the highest risk of causing ecological or economic harm. It is based on the species’ biology, geographic origin, and pest status elsewhere as well as published information on the species’ behavior in the Islands.

Chuck Chimera, Weed Risk Assessment Specialist with the University of Hawaii-Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. Chuck Chimera has worked in conservation in Hawai`i for 20 years, mostly with U.S. Geological Survey’s Biological Resources Division and the National Park Service at Haleakala. He received his Masters in Botany from the University of Hawai`i.