Exotic Pests and Diseases: Biology and Economics for Biosecurity

NACTA Journal, Mar 2005 by King, Chad

Exotic Pests and Diseases: Biology and Economics for Biosecurity By Daniel A. Sumner, Iowa State Press, 2003, 265 pages, hardcover, $79.99.

As exotic pests and diseases are transferred around the world with increasing frequency, the need for treatment and prevention to incorporate costs and benefits of all alternatives is critical for efficient response. Addressing this need was the goal of an interdisciplinary project at the University of California Agricultural Issues Center. This project led to a public forum. Staff members from the U.S. Department Agriculture, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the University of California and the Agricultural Issues Center formed study teams to report on responses to exotic pests. A number of the presentations created by study teams for the forum were developed into chapters of Exotic Pests and Diseases: Biology and Economics for Biosecurity, with Daniel Sumner as editor.

Successful management of exotic pests requires a merging of the fields of biology, agriculture, politics, trade and economics. It is important to know the origins, the growth cycles and reproduction and dispersal methods of pest organisms, and also the potential financial impacts of infestation, eradication, control and quarantine. This book provides a detailed look at exotic pests, introducing issues, principles, institutions and history in the first section, and case studies in the second section. The latter provide clear examples of economics, biology and policy evaluation.

Understanding the origins of the book explains its emphasis on pests and diseases important to California, after a thorough overview of regulatory aspects. This overview details the management and response to pest outbreaks at the state and federal level, as well as those imposed by trade agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT), the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Several case studies examine how these organizations have dealt with international trade disputes in regard to exotic pests. After this broad background, the majority of the book focuses on pests and diseases that pose a specific threat to California. Most of the case studies reviewed discuss the biology of the organism as well as the economic cost - to growers, consumers, the public, etc. - attributed to the impacts of that organism. Case studies presented are: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), foot-and-mouth disease, plant-parasitic nematodes, citrus canker, the red imported fire ant (RIFA), karnal bunt, insect and mite pests of avocados, ash whitefly, rice blast and yellow starthistle.

Exotic Pests and Disease has many strong points. While those in California and other western states benefit from the local relevance of this book, its reach is more expansive than a single geographical area. Several of the case studies focus on diseases that have recently been the focus of intense media attention, such as foot-and-mouth and mad cow disease, providing a wealth of information on these topics. The merger of biological and economic information is done cleanly and in a way that lends itself to use in integrated courses, such as agriculture economics. The biology aspect alone, and the focus on impacts to agriculture allow the book to also serve as a tool in agriculture and biology courses. The economic analysis in each case study is clear and detailed, with adequate explanation of the basis of the range of impact and the costs. A working knowledge of economic terminology and methodology is required to fully appreciate discussions on consumer welfare, externalities, elasticity of demand and changes in the supply curve. The methodology used to determine economic impacts is also carefully defined, providing lessons by example in the steps required for proper cost analysis.

My criticism of this well written book is only in the many areas left untouched, leaving a hint of what could be if a few more books would be written. The case studies focus on organisms adaptable to warm climates, and they totally leave out examples of aquatic nuisance species important in this region of irrigated agriculture, and very costly worldwide. Agriculture is definitely the focus as well, as there is minimal analysis of the costs to natural resources, recreation, energy or human health. Alternative methods of measuring economic costs, such as willingness to pay and travel costs, are therefore not addressed.

Exotic Pests and Diseases: Biology and Economics for Biosecurity is a great, timely tool that fills a needed gap in the literature. It has a broad range of applications, from the classroom to the reference shelf. Discussion on each topic is rich in depth and breadth of the problems posed by pest species. I only hope books such as this will be well-read, increasing the knowledge and awareness of students, scientists and the public, motivating action to reduce the impacts of exotic species.