International Aspects of Invasive Species Management: A Research Agenda

<p>Invasive species are one of the biggest threats to development and well-being in the Pacific. They have wide-ranging impacts on economies, the environment, and societies; in addition to causing USD $1.4 trillion of losses each year. Invasive species are also the primary cause of biodiversity loss on islands which could significantly affect the ecosystem services which Pacific Islanders depend on. Every year New Zealand spends NZD $500 million on biosecurity, and Australia has spent AUD $175 million on a single eradication project. In comparison, in the Pacific there are only six people working fulltime on invasive species issues at a regional level and there is limited funding available. This thesis assesses the role of four New Zealand agencies that assist with invasive species management in the Pacific: the International Development Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Biosecurity New Zealand division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Conservation, and Landcare Research. Together these agencies provide funding, build capacity, offer technical advice, and occasionally implement projects. While there are important gains to New Zealand in assisting the Pacific with invasive species management, such as a reduced biosecurity threat and learning opportunities for staff, the desire to help the region for its own sake is a major driver. Suggestions for future improvement include having more information on the economic impacts of invasive species in the Pacific, increased coordination between donors, and including invasive species measures in regional trade agreements. It is hoped that New Zealand will continue to play its critical leadership role in invasive species management in the region.</p>

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Development of a surveillance species list to inform aquatic invasive species management in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Management of Biological Invasions ◽

10.3391/mbi.2021.12.2.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 272-293

Author(s):

Alisha Dahlstrom Davidson ◽

Andrew Tucker ◽

Lindsay Chadderton ◽

Cecilia Weibert

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Aquatic Invasive Species ◽

Laurentian Great Lakes ◽

Invasive Species Management ◽

Species List ◽

Species Management

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Integrating local social-ecological knowledge to prioritise invasive species management

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27113v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Hernán Cáceres-Escobar ◽

Katrina J Davis ◽

Scott C Atkinson ◽

Hugh P Possingham ◽

Salit Kark

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Local Knowledge ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Well Being ◽

Local Economy ◽

Ecological Knowledge ◽

Invasive Species Management ◽

Management Scenarios ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Species Management

There is a lot of uncertainty about how we pick the best invasive species management strategies to improve the environment, local economy, and human well-being, as invasive species management involves complex and multidimensional challenges. Invasive species management on inhabited islands is especially challenging, often due to perceived socio-political risks and unexpected technical difficulties. Failing to incorporate local knowledge and local perspectives in the early stages of planning can compromise the ability of decision-makers to achieve long-lasting conservation outcomes. Hence, including local knowledge and accounting for subjective stakeholder perceptions is essential for invasive species management, yet this often remains unaddressed. To address this gap, we present an application of invasive species management based on structured decision-making, and the resource allocation tool INFFER, on Minjerribah-North Stradbroke Island (Australia). We assessed the cost-effectiveness of six management scenarios, co-developed with local land managers and community groups, aimed at preserving the environmental and cultural significance of the island by eradicating European red foxes and feral cats. We further conducted a survey eliciting local stakeholders’ perspectives regarding the significance of the Island, their perception of the benefits of the proposed management scenarios, funding requirements, technical feasibility of implementation, and socio-political risk. We found that the best decisions when the budget is low are less cost-effective than when the budget is high. The best strategy focusses on control of European red fox on Minjerribah. However, our results also highlight the need for more research on feral cat management. This work demonstrates how to use a structured decision support tool, like INFFER, to assess contesting management strategies, this is particularly important when stakeholders’ perceptions regarding management outcomes are heterogeneous and uncertain.

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