What potential economic issue could arise if all Hawaiian lands were ruled as public property?

If all Hawaiian lands were ruled as public property, one potential economic issue that could arise is destructive overuse due to rivalrous benefits. When a resource is classified as common or public property, it often leads to what's known as the "Tragedy of the Commons." In this scenario, individuals can access the land without direct ownership, which tends to result in overexploitation of the land since each user benefits from using the resource but does not fully bear the costs associated with its depletion.

As a result, people may engage in activities that maximize their immediate benefit, such as over-farming, overgrazing, or excessive tourism, which can degrade the land's quality and sustainability. This overuse happens because the benefits derived from the land are rivalrous; that is, one person's use diminishes the ability of another person to use that same land. As such, when everyone acts in their self-interest to utilize the land without coordination or regulation, it can lead to significant long-term environmental and economic problems.

In contrast, increased investment in agricultural improvements generally requires private ownership or security of tenure, which incentivizes individuals to improve and maintain the land. When benefits become non-rivalrous, it implies that one individual's use does not detract from