Elimination of plants at the site scale: implications for eradication programmes
The literature about plant eradication has been reviewed and factors commonly cited as influencing eradication success were listed. The authors of this review considered that the most commonly cited factors influencing eradication success could be classified into 2 groups: those related to the ‘organization’ of the management operations, and those related to the ‘site/species’ which were beyond the control of the management agency. Detectability period, search distance, monitoring rate, infestation size, propagule longevity, time to reproductive maturity and previous eradication success all influenced the elimination of the plant at the site scale. Conversely, climate suitability, land use and general accessibility were relatively unimportant. By relating the influential site/species factors to a time-dependent model, managers and policy makers can estimate the probability of successful elimination at a site, given a particular time scale. These estimates can then be aggregated up to the scale they are interested in (e.g. national or regional) to allow managers to set realistic goals regarding eradication timeframes and resource requirements.
Sources
Dodd A, Ainsworth N, Burgman MA, McCarthy MA (2014) Plant extirpation at the site scale: implications for eradication programmes. Diversity and Distributions, DOI 10.1111/ddi.12262.