Evidence-based economic analysis demonstrates that ecosystem service benefits of water hyacinth management greatly exceed research and control costs

PeerJ
Lisa A WaingerAl F Cofrancesco

Abstract

Invasive species management can be a victim of its own success when decades of effective control cause memories of past harm to fade and raise questions of whether programs should continue. Economic analysis can be used to assess the efficiency of investing in invasive species control by comparing ecosystem service benefits to program costs, but only if appropriate data exist. We used a case study of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms), a nuisance floating aquatic plant, in Louisiana to demonstrate how comprehensive record-keeping supports economic analysis. Using long-term data sets, we developed empirical and spatio-temporal simulation models of intermediate complexity to project invasive species growth for control and no-control scenarios. For Louisiana, we estimated that peak plant cover would be 76% higher without the substantial growth rate suppression (84% reduction) that appeared due primarily to biological control agents. Our economic analysis revealed that combined biological and herbicide control programs, monitored over an unusually long time period (1975-2013), generated a benefit-cost ratio of about 34:1 derived from the relatively modest costs of $124 million ($2013) compared to the $4.2 billion (...Continue Reading

References

Dec 24, 2002·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Brian LeungGary Lamberti
Sep 11, 2004·Risk Analysis : an Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis·Alexei A Sharov
Feb 8, 2008·Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·Reuben P KellerDavid M Lodge
Jun 26, 2008·Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·Frank J Rahel, Julian D Olden
Oct 12, 2012·PloS One·Christelle RobinetWopke van der Werf

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