Vegetation protection: some economic analysis

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.