Rapidly assessing cobenefits to advance threat-management alliances |
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Authors: | Matthew W Rees Josie Carwardine Andrew Reeson Jennifer Firn |
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Institution: | 1. School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4001 Australia;2. Land and Water, CSIRO, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102 Australia;3. Data61, CSIRO, 108 North Road, Acton, ACT 2061 Australia |
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Abstract: | Conservation strategies aimed at reducing threats to biodiversity can have significant implications for multiple sectors in a socioeconomic system, but these cobenefits are often poorly understood. For example, many of the threats to native species also impede agricultural production, yet agriculture is typically perceived as in competition with conservation objectives. Although a comprehensive, multiobjective decision analysis is usually beyond the scope and capacity of conservation decision makers, failing to incorporate key socioeconomic costs and benefits into conservation decision-making processes can result in missed opportunities for diversifying outcomes and creating cost-sharing multisectoral partnerships. We devised a straightforward and readily interpretable approach to incorporate cobenefits into a threat-management prioritization approach. We used it to analyze the agricultural cobenefits of implementing 9 invasive animal management strategies designed to ensure the persistence of 148 threatened species across Australia's Lake Eyre Basin over 50 years. A structured elicitation process with 24 participants (scientists, land managers, agriculturalists, and other stakeholders) was used to collect information on each strategy, including costs, technical and social feasibility, benefits to native threatened species, and cobenefits to agricultural production systems. The costs of targeted invasive animal management to save threatened species across the basin (AU$33 million/year) outweighed the overall benefits to the agricultural industry (estimated AU$226 million/year). The return on investment for these management strategies varied substantially when agricultural cobenefits were considered alongside threatened species benefits and showed synergies and challenges. Our approach demonstrates the value of incorporating cobenefits of conservation actions into cost-effectiveness analyses to guide potential investment and partnerships and to diversify implementation pathways. |
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Keywords: | conservation cobenefits cost-effectiveness analysis decision support environmental economics invasive species Lake Eyre Basin multiobjective decision making participatory research análisis de rentabilidad cobeneficios de la conservación cuenca del Lago Eyre economía ambiental especie invasora investigación participativa toma de decisiones con objetivos múltiples respaldo a las decisiones 保护的共同利益 成本效益分析 决策支持 环境经济学 入侵物种 艾尔湖盆地 多目标决策 参与性研究 |
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