Allocation of invasive plant management expenditures for conservation: Lessons from Florida, USA

Abstract

Although the ecological impacts of biological invasions are well studied, comprehensive analyses of spending on invasive species management are lacking. Such analyses could inform both effective resource allocation and management planning.We evaluated long-term invasive plant management expenditures and their potential geographic, economic, and ecological drivers for freshwater and terrestrial conservation areas in Florida, USA. Average expenditures for managing invaders were approximately US$45M annually, with over 90% of funding provided by the state. Our model showed that expenditures were best predicted by the prevalence of waterways and abundance of invaders, indicating that funding was allocated towards asset protection in highly invaded aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Higher spending was directly correlated with reduced area invaded for the costliest invader (Hydrilla verticillata,~$10M/year), demonstrating management efficacy and constructive use of resources. Our study highlights that significant funding is required to manage plant invaders in Florida and that greater funding would likely limit the extent of invasions. Additional analyses of management cost-effectiveness for Florida and other regions would benefit from consistent collection and reporting of high-resolution management data. Given the exponential rate of spread of many invaders, additional and sustained management funding is needed for early detection and rapid, effective control of invasive species.

Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures

“…Millions of dollars are spent each year in Florida to mitigate the negative ecological impacts caused by Brazilian pepper invasions (Hiatt et al, 2019). In response to warming winters, this freeze-sensitive species is expected to migrate northward and transform ecosystems in north Florida and across much of the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic coasts of the United States .…”

Winter climate change and the poleward range expansion of a tropical invasive tree (Brazilian pepper—Schinus terebinthifolius)

“…Our analyses indicate that Brazilian pepper is present in at least 923 discrete protected areas in Florida. Millions of dollars are spent managing Brazilian pepper each year (Hiatt, Serbesoff‐King, Lieurance, Gordon, & Flory, ). For example, a single agency—the South Florida Water Management District—spent about $1.2 million on Brazilian pepper control in 1 year (Rodgers et al, ).…”

“…For example, a single agency—the South Florida Water Management District—spent about $1.2 million on Brazilian pepper control in 1 year (Rodgers et al, ). A recent analysis of invasive plant management expenditures in Florida between 2009 and 2014 indicates that the expenditures for managing Brazilian pepper are typically above $2.5 million each year (Hiatt et al, ).…”

Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas

“…Unfortunately, invasive pests do not stay confined to wildland forest areas and can spread into suburban and urban areas [1]. Some of the impacts of infestations include disturbances of ecosystem processes and habitats [2][3][4][5], reductions in the value of residential properties due to increased wildfire risk, risks to human safety due to hazardous dead trees, harm to businesses, and ecosystem degradation [1,6]. These impacts have been exacerbated by the lower aesthetic appeal of dead and dying trees, land use conflicts, hindrances to trail and forest accessibility, lower timber value compared to healthy trees [7], and decreasing biodiversity in the ecosystem [8].…”