ERADICATION AND PEST-MANAGEMENT

Eradication is the elimination of every single individual of a species from an area to which recolonization is unlikely to occur. Cost-benef it analyses of eradication programs involve biases that tend to undere stimate the costs and overestimate the benefits. In this review, we (a ) highlight limitations of current cost-benefit analyses, (b) assess e radication strategies from biological and sociological perspectives by discussing particular cases of successful and failed eradication effo rts, and (c) briefly contrast eradication and ongoing area-wide contro l as pest management strategies. Two successful eradication programs i nvolve the screwworm and cattle ticks. Gypsy moth and medfly eradicati on programs have not been successful, and subsequent captures of insec ts recur in eradication areas. In situations where heterogeneity of la nd use patterns make it difficult to prevent reinvasion of the pest, e ducation and area-wide suppression are probably more realistic goals t han eradication.