Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases

Authors

• Evan H. Campbell Grant, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterFollow
• Erin Muths, USGS, Fort Collins
• Rachel A. Katz, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• Stefano Canessa, Zoological Society of London
• Michael J. Adams, USGS, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
• Jennifer R. Ballard, USFWS, Fort Collins
• Lee Berger, James Cook University
• Cheryl J. Briggs, University of California-Santa Barbara
• Jeremy T. H. Coleman, USFWS, Hadley
• Matthew J. Gray, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• M. Camille Harris, USGS - Ecosystems
• Reid N. Harris, James Madison University
• Blake Hossack, USGS, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Center
• Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Colorado State University - Fort Collins
• Jonathan Kolby, James Cook University
• Karen R. Lips, University of Maryland at College Park
• Robert E. Lovich, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest
• Hamish I. McCallum, Environmental Futures Research Institute and Griffith School of Environment
• Joseph R. Mendelson III, Zoo Atlanta
• Priya Nanjappa, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• Deanna H. Olson, US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
• Jenny G. Powers, US National Park Service, Fort Collins
• Katherine L. D. Richgels, USGS, National Wildlife Health Center
• Robin E. Russell, USGS, National Wildlife Health Center
• Benedikt R. Schmidt, KARCH, Neuchatel
• Annemarieke Spitzen-van der Sluijs, Reptielen Amfibieë Vissen Onderzoek Nederland
• Mary Kay Watry, NPS, Rocky Mountain National Park
• Douglas C. Woodhams, University of Massachusetts Boston
• C. LeAnn White, USGS, National Wildlife Health Center

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Front Ecol Environ 2017; 15(4): 214–221

Comments

© The Ecological Society of America

This document is a U.S. government work and is not subjected to copyright in the United States.

doi:10.1002/fee.1481

Abstract

Despite calls for improved responses to emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, management is seldom considered until a disease has been detected in affected populations. Reactive approaches may limit the potential for control and increase total response costs. An alternative, proactive management framework can identify immediate actions that reduce future impacts even before a disease is detected, and plan subsequent actions that are conditional on disease emergence. We identify four main obstacles to developing proactive management strategies for the newly discovered salamander pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Given that uncertainty is a hallmark of wildlife disease management and that associated decisions are often complicated by multiple competing objectives, we advocate using decision analysis to create and evaluate trade-offs between proactive (pre-emergence) and reactive (post-emergence) management options. Policy makers and natural resource agency personnel can apply principles from decision analysis to improve strategies for countering emerging infectious diseases.