The Role of Restoration and Key Ecological Invasion Mechanisms in Optimal Spatial-Dynamic Management of Invasive Species

Abstract

To increase the ecological realism in an economic analysis of invasive species management in a river network, this paper identifies optimal spatial-dynamic management while accounting for specific invasive species strategies, including long-distance dispersal, exogenous arrivals, propagule pressure, and seed fitness. Although a stylized framework, the inclusion of native species permits analysis of trade-offs between the management actions of invasive species control and of habitat restoration for a range of settings and species characteristics. In general, more aggressive invasive species and more invasion-susceptible ecosystems require greater investment in habitat restoration despite its relative expense. Explicitly modeling invasion strategies reveals that the specific ecological mechanism of invasion defines the location of management activities in the river network, and the choice between invasive species control and habitat restoration. The analysis of this bioeconomic model develops insights that help managers to harness the power of native-invasive species establishment interactions in stemming bio-invasions across time and space.