Introduction: The Role of Risk Management in Invasive Species Management
An overview of decision-making under risk in invasive species management, with an emphasis on the economic literature, is provided in this synthesis, and the following topics are discussed: an overview of invasive species management; the key factors causing invasions; the exclusion activities aimed at preventing introductions; post-introduction control activities; and trade-offs between multiple management strategies. Scientists have studied the impacts of invasive species on non-native ecosystems for many years. Recently, the public has become more aware of the problems associated with invasive species, due largely to greater levels of media coverage and public information campaigns regarding the issue. Government agencies deal explicitly with risk in their on-going invasive species management programs; thus, risk management plays a crucial role in these programs.
Owing to the breadth of risk management, and discrepancies among discipline-specific terms, the sections below clarify the usage of terminology in this synthesis.
- Defining Risk : In economics, the term is most often used to describe situations in which the results of a decision follow some sort of probability distribution.
- Risk Assessment and Risk Management : Risk analysis consists of risk assessment and risk management activities.
- A (Brief) Primer in Economic Theory : Some common economic concepts and terms used throughout the review are briefly covered in this section.
- Invasive Species Management : Invasive species management spans a variety of activities that can be grouped into three areas: exclusion, detection, and control.
Encyclopedia ID: p3055
