Discover how blending economics and ecology can guide smarter strategies to protect forests from invasive pests.
In this lecture from the Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre’s inaugural symposium, economist and ecologist Rebecca Epanchin-Niell explores how understanding the costs and benefits of prevention versus control can inform strategies for keeping forests free of invasive pests. She explains that quantifying how damages change with an invader’s spread helps determine the level of investment needed to mitigate those costs and shows why limited resources should be allocated where they provide the greatest benefit. Epanchin-Niell notes that governments, traders and other stakeholders must consider the full risks associated with trade and coordinate surveillance and management efforts to reduce the likelihood of new introductions.Watch the full talk to see how blending economics and ecology can help safeguard forests.
About the speaker:
Rebecca Epanchin-Niell is an associate professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at Resources for the Future. Her research sits at the interface of economics and ecology, focusing on invasive species management, conservation of species and ecosystems, and rural coastal adaptation to climate change. She develops decision-support models for cost-effective management, often combining biophysical and economic analyses and collaborating with natural and social scientists. At Resources for the Future she studies how human behaviour affects ecological resources and devises strategies to control established invaders, improve monitoring and foster cooperative management.