Control of Invasive Species: Lessons from Miconia in Hawaii

Brooks Kaiser, Kimberly Burnett () and James Roumasset

No 200608, Working Papers from University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics

Abstract: Once established, invasive species can rapidly and irreversibly alter ecosystems and degrade the value of ecosystem services. Optimal control of an exotic pest solves for a trajectory of removals that minimizes the present value of removal costs and residual damages from the remaining pest population. The shrubby tree, Miconia calvescens, is used to illustrate dynamic policy options for a forest invader. Potential damages to Hawaii's forest ecosystems are related to decreased aquifer recharge, biodiversity, and other ecosystem values. We find that population reduction is the optimal management policy for the islands of Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii. On the island of Kauai, where tree density is lower and search costs higher, optimal policy calls for deferring removal expenditures until the steady state population is reached.

JEL-codes: Q23 Q51 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 16 pages
Date: 2006
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://www.economics.hawaii.edu/research/workingpapers/WP_06-8.pdf First version, 2006 (application/pdf)

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Working Paper: Control of Invasive Species: Lessons from Miconia in Hawaii (2006)
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