Panzacchi, M., Bertolino, S., Cocchi, R. &Genovesi, P. 2007: Population control of coypu Myocastor coypus in Italy compared to eradication in UK: a cost-benefit analysis. - Wildl. Biol. 13: 159-171.
Invasive alien species rank among the world’s greatest threats to biodiversity and cause huge economic losses. Eradication is a key management strategy for newly introduced pests, but it is frequently discarded due to the high costs. When populations become established and conflicts increase, policy-makers often resort to permanent population control. However, no cost-benefit analyses have been carried out so far to compare the two alternatives. We present the first cost-benefit analysis by comparing the permanent control campaign of coypu Myocastor coypus in Italy with the successful eradication carried out in UK in the 1980s. Data regarding the eradication came from literature, while costs and benefits of control were quantified through a national survey. In Italy, during 1995-2000, the damage amounted to € 11,631,721, control activities cost € 2,614,408, and 220,688 coypu were removed. Control campaigns did not stop the population expansion nor the increase in damage and economic losses at a national scale. However, the efficacy of local campaigns varied among different ecosystems. According to our predictions, the Italian coypu range may expand 2.5-3.3 times, and economic losses may reach € 9-12 millions/year. A comparison between the costs of the successful eradication carried out in East Anglia (€ five million over 11 years) and the permanent control campaign in Italy (€ 14 million over only six years) shows that even very costly eradications, if successful, may have a very positive cost-benefit ratio in the long term.
Key words: biologic invasions, damage, economic losses, impact, invasive alien species, pest
Sandro Bertolino, DIVAPRA Entomology and Zoology, University of Turin, Via L. da Vinci 44, I-10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy - e-mail: sandro.bertolino@unito.it
*Present address: Norwegian University of Science and Technology: Biology Department, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Corresponding author: Manuela Panzacchi
Received 29 November 2005, accepted 16 March 2006
Associate Editor: Klaus Hackländer