Integrating Data, Biology, and Decision Models for Invasive Species Management: Application to Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)

Abstract

"Invasive species are a major cause of environmental change and are often costly to control. Decision theory should offer managers guidance to formulate the optimal allocation of resources. Unfortunately, current decision theory models typically do not consider invasion dynamics and do not make full use of the best models of biological spread and best biological data from theoretical models. We developed a decision theory model that integrated population dynamics, spread, uncertainty, and changes in management policies. We applied this model to leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), a high-priority invasive weed in North America. We used field data to construct a biological model that included stochastic population dynamics and spatial spread and integrated it with decision theory using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP). The SDP model considered three control strategies: no control, biological control, and herbicide control. Solutions from the SDP model determined the optimal strategy to apply at a given state for any time horizon. The optimal strategy depended on the area and density of leafy spurge and varied with the time horizon; therefore, dynamic control is important in management programs. Biological control was consistently indicated as the optimal strategy for all time horizons. Herbicide control was the optimal strategy for small areas with high-density infestation for long time horizons. We conclude that dynamic control, forecasting, and the time horizon are important considerations for invasive species managers who are under financial, logistical, and time constraints."