Intentional introductions of nonindigenous species: a principal-agent model and protocol for revocable decisions

Alien or genetically altered species, purposefully released to generate var ious benefits, may contribute to unanticipated damage to the delicate balan ce of an existing ecosystem. In an ideal world, harm can be avoided in eith er of two ways: (1) perfect ex ante information would allow the choice of o nly beneficial releases; and (2) perfect revocability would allow ex post r evocation of any release that turned out to be harmful. Currently, standard decision protocols regulating releases depend heavily upon ex ante informa tion, which is often costly and uncertain due to highly complex ecosystems. We propose a more balanced approach that combines imperfect ex ante inform ation with imperfect revocability. A principal-agent model is used to addre ss moral hazards affecting purposeful releases. A model protocol is sketche d to implement the concepts developed in this paper, paying particular atte ntion to incentives that encourage releasing agents, to provide the optimal degree of revocability. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .