Environment and Development Research Group
	School of Resource and Environmental Management Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6

HOME	RESEARCH	PEOPLE	OPPORTUNITIES	FUNDING
Economic Analysis of the Horticulture Industry as a Pathway for Invading Species in North America Invasive exotic plant species are known to cause extensive damage, incurring both environmental and economic losses. For example, invasive species have been characterized as the second largest cause of biodiversity loss in the United States. This damage is often irreversible and, as such, recent research has focused on identifying the pathways by which exotic species are deliberately introduced in order to design appropriate policies. One such pathway is the horticulture industry, which benefits from importing and selling exotic, potentially invasive, species. Several projects have examined the economic costs and policy implications of invasive species. Recent research on this subject has investigated how various economic solutions and incentives, such as taxes, may be implemented to target the risks of invasions stemming from horticultural trade. Preliminary analysis revealed that there may indeed be a role for economic solutions to the invasive plant problem, however data concerning the costs and benefits of the introduction of exotics for horticulture is required to determine the precise implications for applying economic instruments in this context. A USDA funded project expanded on the preliminary analysis by developing an integrated economic and ecological analysis of the costs and benefits associated with the risk of invasive plant establishment from horticultural trade in North America. The objective was to produce a new ecological-economic method of assessing the commercial decision of private nurseries in the US and Canada to sell exotic species and the accompanying risk of accidental introduction.  Such research is of increasing importance to improve policies to control this problem in both countries and to decision makers seeking new tools and modeling methods to assist in the design of better policies. In addition, evaluation of various policy interventions for reducing the risk of accidental introduction by the North American horticultural industry was a component of this research project. With the objective of determining feasible policy options for addressing the problems surrounding the sale of invasive plants by the horticulture industry, a research project conducted by a REM Master’s student included an analysis of the acceptability of various policy alternatives to stakeholders. Publications/Presentations: Ransom-Hodges, A. and Knowler, D. 2008. "Policies to Reduce the Risk of Invasive Plant Introductions via Horticultural Trade" In Floriculture, Ornamental and Plant Biotechnology: Advances and Topical Issues Vol. 5, J.A. Teixeira da Silva (ed.), Global Science Books (www.globalsciencebooks.com), Isleworth, UK, pp22-36. Barbier, E., Gwatipedza, J., Knowler, D., Reichard, S., Dust, K. and Ransom-Hodges, A. 2008. The Economics and Ecology of the Risk of Invasive Plant Establishment from the Horticultural Trade in North America. Report prepared for the Program of Research on the Economics of Invasive Species (PREISM) of the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC. Ransom-Hodges, A. 2007. The Introduction of Potentially Invasive Alien Plant Species for Horticultural Purposes in North America: Assessing Stakeholder Perspectives and Preferences. M.R.M. research project no. 439, School of Resource and Environmental Management. Burnaby, BC: Simon Fraser University.   Barbier, E.B. and Knowler, D. 2006. "Commercialization decisions and the economics of introduction", Euphytica 148: 151-164. Knowler, D. and Barbier, E.B. 2005. “Importing exotic plants and the risk of invasion: are market-based instruments adequate?” Ecological Economics 52: 341-354.

contact us

site map

last updated: May 2009