The Ghost of Extinction: Preservation Values and Minimum Viable Population in Wildlife Models

Gerrit van Kooten and Mark Eiswerth

No 2008-09, Working Papers from University of Victoria, Department of Economics, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group

Abstract: The inclusion of a minimum viable population in bioeconomic modeling creates at least two complications that are not resolved by using a modified logistic growth function. The first complication can be dealt with by choosing a different depensational growth function. The second complication relates to the inclusion of the in situ benefits of wildlife into the analysis. Knowledge about the magnitude of the in situ benefits provides no guide for policy about conservation management. Simply knowing that people are willing to pay a large amount each year to protect a species says nothing about whether one should manage habitat to protect or enhance the species’ numbers, unless the species is in imminent danger of extinction. If willingness to pay is to be a guide, it needs to be better tied to population numbers, especially the minimum viable population.

Keywords: marginal willingness to pay; endangered species and extinction; minimum viable population (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C61 Q20 Q24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2008-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-env and nep-res
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https://web.uvic.ca/~repa/publications/REPA%20work ... kingPaper2008-09.pdf Final version, 2008 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The ghost of extinction: Preservation values and minimum viable population in wildlife models (2009)
Working Paper: The Ghost of Extinction: Preservation Values and Minimum Viable Population in Wildlife Models (2008)
Working Paper: The Ghost of Extinction: Preservation Values and Minimum Viable Population in Wildlife Models (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rep:wpaper:2008-09

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