Managing aquatic invasions: Optimal locations and operating times for watercraft inspection stations

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

卷:283

Article

Fischer, Samuel M.¹  Beck, Martina²  Herborg, Leif-Matthias³  Lewis, Mark A.^1,4 

[1] Univ Alberta, Dept Math & Stat Sci, 632 Cent Acad Bldg, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G1, Canada

[2] BC Minist Environm & Climate Change Strategy, Conservat Sci Sect, Victoria, BC, Canada

[3] Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Inst Ocean Sci, Sidney, BC, Canada

[4] Univ Alberta, Dept Biol Sci, Edmonton, AB, Canada

关键词: Aquatic invasive species;    Linear integer programming;    Optimal management;    Spatially explicit;    Zebra mussel;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111923

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) cause significant ecological and economic damages around the world. A major spread mechanism for AIS is traffic of boaters transporting their watercraft from invaded to uninvaded water bodies. To inhibit the spread of AIS, Canadian provinces and American states often set up watercraft inspection stations at roadsides, where potentially infested boats are screened for AIS and, if necessary, decontaminated. However, since budgets for AIS control are limited, watercraft inspection stations can only be operated at specific locations and daytimes. Though theoretical studies provide managers with general guidelines for AIS management, more specific results are needed to determine when and where watercraft inspections would be most effective. This is the subject of this paper. We show how linear integer programming techniques can be used to optimize watercraft inspection policies under budget constraints. We introduce our approach as a general framework and apply it to the prevention of the spread of zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena spp.) to the Canadian province of British Columbia. We consider multiple scenarios and show how variations in budget constraints, propagule sources, and model uncertainty affect the optimal policy. Based on these results, we identify simple, generally applicable principles for optimal AIS management.

【 授权许可】

Free