Conserving biodiversity: Managing invasive species and exploitation of wildlife

Efficient policies based upon economic and ecological research can play a crucial role in lessening the decline in global biodiversity. I analyze biodiversity conservation using two distinct approaches: (1) reducing the threat to native populations posed by introduced invasive species and (2) protecting threatened species affected by hunting. I develop bioeconomic models to identify efficient management strategies that reduce biodiversity loss specifically by searching for invasive insects in U.S. forests and pricing to create incentives for the conservation of threatened lion populations in Tanzania.; The invasive species research focuses on post-introduction detection activities undertaken by government agencies. While detection activities comprise a significant portion of on-going invasive species efforts, existing literature tends to overlook this area. My model captures the search decision, with subsequent control, facing agency managers. This model adds to existing risk management frameworks, all of which aim to identify effective management strategies by combining economic and ecological factors. Based on my synthesis of relevant literature, I find that while economics research is moving in an interdisciplinary direction, effectively incorporating the distinct disciplines proves challenging.; The lion hunting research addresses this challenge. I offer a model from the perspective of a trophy hunting company that is managing a wild population of lions. Through the detailed representation of the lion's population dynamics, namely their unique social structures, the model offers novel analysis of varying management strategies that could be employed by the trophy hunting companies. These frameworks offer insights for biodiversity conservation by identifying effective management strategies from the perspective of decision-makers.