Vegetation protection: some economic analysis
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Date
1992-08
Type
Conference Contribution - published
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Abstract
Possums, a native of Australia, were first liberated in New Zealand in 1858 to provide a
source of fur. Today they number about 70 million and few parts of the country have not
been invaded by possums. Possums have well developed appetites and their browsing
habits cause many problems. National Parks, and other areas of conservation land
which are bush covered are major habitats for possums. Some conservation forest
areas in New Zealand are being severely modified by browsing possums, and many
trees become so stressed by continual possum browsing that death occurs. Efforts to
prevent damage by possums can be appraised to determine whether the policies
pursued are economically defensible. This paper examines the rationale for protecting
conservation areas from damage by possums, anempts to illustrate how efficient levels
of control can be determined, provides some empirical evidence on costs of protection,
indicates how the benefits of protection actions might be measured, and comments on
the delivery of vegetation protection.
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