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Carter ZT, Hanson JO, Perry GLW, Russell JC. Incorporating management action suitability in conservation plans. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T. Carter
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | | | | | - James C. Russell
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
- Department of Statistics The University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
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Bodey TW, Carter ZT, Haubrock PJ, Cuthbert RN, Welsh MJ, Diagne C, Courchamp F. Building a synthesis of economic costs of biological invasions in New Zealand. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13580. [PMID: 35990909 PMCID: PMC9387519 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological invasions are a major component of anthropogenic environmental change, incurring substantial economic costs across all sectors of society and ecosystems. There have been recent syntheses of costs for a number of countries using the newly compiled InvaCost database, but New Zealand-a country renowned for its approach to invasive species management-has so far not been examined. Here we analyse reported economic damage and management costs incurred by biological invasions in New Zealand from 1968 to 2020. In total, US$69 billion (NZ$97 billion) is currently reported over this ∼50-year period, with approximately US$9 billion of this considered highly reliable, observed (c.f. projected) costs. Most (82%) of these observed economic costs are associated with damage, with comparatively little invested in management (18%). Reported costs are increasing over time, with damage averaging US$120 million per year and exceeding management expenditure in all decades. Where specified, most reported costs are from terrestrial plants and animals, with damages principally borne by primary industries such as agriculture and forestry. Management costs are more often associated with interventions by authorities and stakeholders. Relative to other countries present in the InvaCost database, New Zealand was found to spend considerably more than expected from its Gross Domestic Product on pre- and post-invasion management costs. However, some known ecologically (c.f. economically) impactful invasive species are notably absent from estimated damage costs, and management costs are not reported for a number of game animals and agricultural pathogens. Given these gaps for known and potentially damaging invaders, we urge improved cost reporting at the national scale, including improving public accessibility through increased access and digitisation of records, particularly in overlooked socioeconomic sectors and habitats. This also further highlights the importance of investment in management to curtail future damages across all sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. Bodey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand,School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Zachary T. Carter
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Phillip J. Haubrock
- Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany,Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ross N. Cuthbert
- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Kiel, Germany,School of Biological Sciences, The Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | | | - Christophe Diagne
- CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Franck Courchamp
- CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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Spatz DR, Holmes ND, Will DJ, Hein S, Carter ZT, Fewster RM, Keitt B, Genovesi P, Samaniego A, Croll DA, Tershy BR, Russell JC. The global contribution of invasive vertebrate eradication as a key island restoration tool. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13391. [PMID: 35948555 PMCID: PMC9365850 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14982-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Islands are global hotspots for biodiversity and extinction, representing ~ 5% of Earth's land area alongside 40% of globally threatened vertebrates and 61% of global extinctions since the 1500s. Invasive species are the primary driver of native biodiversity loss on islands, though eradication of invasive species from islands has been effective at halting or reversing these trends. A global compendium of this conservation tool is essential for scaling best-practices and enabling innovations to maximize biodiversity outcomes. Here, we synthesize over 100 years of invasive vertebrate eradications from islands, comprising 1550 eradication attempts on 998 islands, with an 88% success rate. We show a significant growth in eradication activity since the 1980s, primarily driven by rodent eradications. The annual number of eradications on islands peaked in the mid-2000s, but the annual area treated continues to rise dramatically. This trend reflects increases in removal efficacy and project complexity, generating increased conservation gains. Our synthesis demonstrates the collective contribution of national interventions towards global biodiversity outcomes. Further investment in invasive vertebrate eradications from islands will expand biodiversity conservation while strengthening biodiversity resilience to climate change and creating co-benefits for human societies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Stella Hein
- Island Conservation, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Piero Genovesi
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Italy.,IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Rome, Italy
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Carter ZT, Lumley T, Bodey TW, Russell JC. The clock is ticking: Temporally prioritizing eradications on islands. Glob Chang Biol 2021; 27:1443-1456. [PMID: 33368863 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Achieving conservation objectives is time critical, but the vast number of threats and potential actions means some form of ranking is necessary to aid prioritization. Objective methods for ranking conservation actions based on when they are differentially likely to become feasible, or to succeed, are currently unavailable within existing decision-making frameworks but are critical for making informed management decisions. We demonstrate how statistical tools developed for survival (or time-to-event) analysis can be used to rank conservation actions over time, through the lens of invasive mammal eradications on islands. Here we forecast the probability of eradicating commensal rat species (Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus, R. exulans) from the New Zealand archipelago by the government's stated target of year 2050. Our methods provide temporally ranked eradication trajectories for the entire country, thus facilitating meeting nationwide policy goals. This demonstration highlights the relevance and applicability of such an approach and its utility for prioritizing globally effective conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T Carter
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas Lumley
- Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas W Bodey
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- The University of Exeter, Environmental and Sustainability Institute, Penryn, UK
| | - James C Russell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Zero Invasive Predators, Wellington, New Zealand
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Carter ZT, Bodey TW, Russell JC. Terrestrial vertebrate survey of Motukawanui. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2021.1883680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T. Carter
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas W. Bodey
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - James C. Russell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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