Burning Bridges: Early eradication and management of invasive species

Early intervention of invasive species is often cited as the best course of action because the costs from long-term management and damages caused by the species are less when it is less abundant and/or constrained to a small area. Literature suggests that there is a point in the invasion curve after which management becomes too expensive, and eradication unfeasible (hereon referred to as “critical point”). Interventions before this critical point are referred to as early. Nonetheless, the definition of early is not clear. In fact, given the complexities and circumstantial nature of biological invasions, this critical point is not static. Here, we propose a mathematical description of this critical point by arguing that it is influenced by time, population dynamics, and the budgetary constraints of the management program. We use computer simulations to evaluate the robustness of this definition to a more stochastic model. Identifying the critical point in the invasion process before which intervention can be classified as early could aid policy makers and managers to take informed decisions on how to allocate resources given the population dynamics of the invasive population and the budgetary constraints of the management program.

NOTE: This is not meant to be a scientific report, but rather a friendly account of my research project. For more technical details or the scientific report, reach out to me and I will gladly provide the information.