Kimberly Burnett () (Department of Economics, University of Puget Sound) Sean D’Evelyn (Department of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa) Brooks Kaiser (Department of Economics, Gettysburg College) Porntawee Nantamanasikarn (Department of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa) James Roumasset (Department of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa)
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In this paper, an integrated model for the prevention and control of an invasive species is developed. The generality of the model allows it to be used for both existing and potential threats to the system of interest. The deterministic nature of arrivals in the model allows for a clear examination of the tradeoffs inherent when choosing between prevention and control strategies. We illuminate how optimal expenditure paths change in response to various biological and economic parameters for the case of the Brown treesnake in Hawaii. Results suggest that it is more advantageous to spend money finding the small population of snakes as they occur than attempting to prevent all future introductions. Like the drunk that looks for his keys only where the light is, public policy may fail to look “beyond the lamppost” for snakes that have already arrived but have not yet been detected. Actively searching for a potential population of snakes rather than waiting for an accidental discovery may save Hawaii tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in future damages, interdiction expenditures, and control costs.
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Paper provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number
200714.
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