Predation Services: a Framework for Studying the Societal Costs and Benefits of Carnivores and Their Prey

The costs of carnivores to society are relatively well known, and are typically presented as the societal sacrifice necessary for receiving the ecological benefits of carnivores, such as increases in biodiversity. However,... [ view full abstract ]

The costs of carnivores to society are relatively well known, and are typically presented as the societal sacrifice necessary for receiving the ecological benefits of carnivores, such as increases in biodiversity. However, carnivores may also have direct and indirect socioeconomic benefits to society, which are not well studied. Direct benefits include increased ecotourism and existence values, while indirect benefits are accrued through predation, via the avoided costs of prey. Such “predation services” include, for example, removal of carcasses that could transmit disease, decreased prey-vehicle collisions, and reduced prey damage to crops and forestry. Here, we use a predator-prey-economic model to examine when carnivores are likely to be a net cost or benefit to society. We find that proximity to prey carrying capacity has a strong effect on net carnivore cost/benefit, indicating that transferring the socioeconomic values of a carnivore species from one ecosystem to another may be problematic unless prey density dependence is accounted for. Including both costs and benefits of carnivores to society by quantifying predation services could improve both conservation and management outcomes by increasing effective communication to diverse stakeholders, but should be approached in a more nuanced and ecologically-informed way.