Skip to main content

Potential impact of invasive alien species on ecosystem services provided by a tropical forested ecosystem: a case study from Montserrat

Biological Invasions volume 17, pages 461–475 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Local stakeholders at the important but vulnerable Centre Hills on Montserrat consider that the continued presence of feral livestock (particularly goats and pigs) may lead to widespread replacement of the reserve’s native vegetation by invasive alien trees (Java plum and guava), and consequent negative impacts on native animal species. Since 2009, a hunting programme to control the feral livestock has been in operation. However long-term funding is not assured. Here, we estimate the effect of feral livestock control on ecosystem services provided by the forest to evaluate whether the biodiversity conservation rationale for continuation of the control programme is supported by an economic case. A new practical tool (Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment) was employed to measure and compare ecosystem service provision between two states of the reserve (i.e. presence and absence of feral livestock control) to estimate the net consequences of the hunting programme on ecosystem services provided by the forest. Based on this we estimate that cessation of feral livestock management would substantially reduce the net benefits provided by the site, including a 46 % reduction in nature-based tourism (from $419,000 to $228,000) and 36 % reduction in harvested wild meat (from $205,000 to $132,000). The overall net benefit generated from annual ecosystem service flows associated with livestock control in the reserve, minus the management cost, was $214,000 per year. We conclude that continued feral livestock control is important for maintaining the current level of ecosystem services provided by the reserve.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1

References

  • Allcorn RI, Hilton GM, Fenton C, Atkinson PW, Bowden CGR, Gray GAL, Hulme M, Madden J, Mackley EK, Oppel S (2012) Demography and breeding ecology of the critically endangered Montserrat Oriole. Condor 114:227–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson-Teixeira KJ, DeLucia EH (2011) The greenhouse gas value of ecosystems. Glob Change Biol 17:425–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asner GP, Martin RE, Knapp DE, Kennedy-Bowdoin T (2010) Effects of Morella faya tree invasion on aboveground carbon storage in Hawaii. Biol Invasions 12:477–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagstad KJ, Villa F, Johnson GW, Voigt B. (2011) ARIES—artificial intelligence for ecosystem services: a guide to models and data, version 1.0. ARIES report series n.1. http://www.ariesonline.org/docs/ARIESModelingGuide1.0.pdf

  • Balmford A, Fisher B, Green RE, Naidoo R, Strassburg B, Turner RK, Rodrigues ASL (2011) Bringing ecosystem services into the real world: an operational framework for assessing the economic consequences of losing wild nature. Environ Resour Econ 48:161–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barclay J, Johnstone JE, Matthews AJ (2006) Meteorological monitoring of an active volcano: implications for eruption prediction. J Volcanol Geother Res 150:339–358

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell RG, Callan D (2011) More than meets the eye: the social cost of carbon in U.S. climate policy, in plain English. Policy brief. World Resources Institute, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard F, de Groot RS, Campos JJ (2009) Valuation of tropical forest services and mechanisms to finance their conservation and sustainable use: a case study of Tapanti National Park, Costa Rica. For Policy Econ 11:174–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown S (1997) Estimating biomass and biomass change of tropical forests: a primer. UN FAO Forestry Paper 134, UN FAO, Rome, pp 55

  • Campbell TA, Long DB (2009) Feral swine damage and damage management in forested ecosystems. For Ecol Manag 257:2319–2326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chave J, Andalo C, Brown S, Cairns MA, Chambers JQ, Eamus D, Folster H, Fromard F, Higuchi N, Kira T, Lescure JP, Nelson BW, Ogawa H, Puig H, Riera B, Yamakura T (2005) Tree allometry and improved estimation of carbon stocks and balance in tropical forests. Oecologia 145:87–99

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corlett RT (2010) Invasive aliens on tropical East Asian islands. Biodivers Conserv 19:411–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson J, Millet J, Gray G (2011) Reducing the impact of feral livestock in and around the Centre Hills. Final report, Darwin Initiative

  • De Lange WJ, van Wilgen BW (2010) An economic assessment of the contribution of biological control to the management of invasive alien plants and to the protection of ecosystem services in South Africa. Biol Invasions 12:4113–4124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delaney M, Roshetko J (1999) Field test of carbon monitoring methods for home gardens in Indonesia. In: Field Tests of carbon monitoring methods in forestry projects. Forest carbon monitoring program, Winrock International, Arlington, VA, USA, pp 45–51

  • García G, Lopez J, Fa JE, Gray GAL (2009) Chytrid fungus strikes mountain chickens in Montserrat. Oryx 43:323–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geissler C, Nadrowski K, Kuhn P, Baruffol M, Bruelheide H, Schmid B, Scholten T (2013) Kinetic energy of throughfall in subtropical forests of SE China—effects of tree canopy structure, functional traits and biodiversity. PLoS ONE 8:e49618

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenspan Bell R, Callan D (2011) More than meets the eye: the social cost of carbon in U.S. Climate Policy in Plain English. Policy Brief. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC

  • Hickman JE, Wu S, Mickley LJ, Lerdau MT (2010) Kudzu (Pueraria montana) invasion doubles emissions of nitric oxide and increases ozone pollution. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107:10115–10119

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holliday SH (2009) Montserrat: a guide to the Centre Hills. West Indies Publishing, Antigua

    Google Scholar 

  • Imbert D, Portecop J (2008) Hurricane disturbance and forest resilience: assessing structural vs. functional changes in a Caribbean dry forest. For Ecol Manag 255:3494–3501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2006) 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (ed. by Eggleston HS, Buendia L, Miwa K, Ngara T, Tanabe K) National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, IGES, Japan

  • IUCN (2014) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 28 June 2014.

  • Kibria SS, Nahar TN, Mia MM (1994) Tree leaves as alternative feed resource for Black Bengal goats under stall-fed conditions. Small Rumin Res 13:217–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacGregor AG (1938) The royal society expedition to Montserrat, B.W.I. The volcanic history and petrology of Montserrat, with observations on Mt. Pele, in Martinique. Philos Trans R Soc Lond, Ser B 229:1–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mack RN, Simberloff D, Lonsdale WM, Evans H, Clout M, Bazzaz FA (2000) Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control. Ecol Appl 10:689–710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin MR, Tipping PW, Sickman JO (2009) Invasion by an exotic tree alters above and belowground ecosystem components. Biol Invasions 11:1883–1894

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGeoch MA, Butchart SHM, Spear D, Marais E, Kleynhans EJ, Symes A, Chanson J, Hoffmann M (2010) Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses. Divers Distrib 16:95–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer J-Y (2000) Invasive plants in the Pacific Islands. In: Sherley G (ed) The invasive species in the Pacific: A Technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

  • Myers JH, Simberloff D, Kuris AM, Carey JR (2000) Eradicatin revisited: dealing with exotic species. Trends Ecol Evol 15:316–320

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nogueira-Filho SLG, Nogueira SSC, Fragoso JMV (2009) Ecological impacts of feral pigs in the Hawaiian Islands. Biodivers Conserv 18:3677–3683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oppel S, Hilton GM, Allcorn R, Fenton C, Matthews AJ, Gibbons D (2013) The effects of rainfall on different components of seasonal fecundity in a tropical forest passerine. Ibis 155:464–475

  • Pearson T, Walker S, Brown S (2005) Sourcebook for land use, land-use change and forestry projects. Winrock International. http://www.planvivo.org/wp-content/uploads/LULUCF_Sourcebook_compressed11.pdf. Accessed 28 June 2014

  • Peh KS-H (2010) Invasive species in Southeast Asia: the knowledge so far. Biodivers Conserv 19:1083–1099

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peh KS-H, Balmford A, Bradbury RB, Brown C, Butchart SHM, Hughes FMR, Stattersfield A, Thomas DHL, Walpole M, Birch JC (2013a) Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). Cambridge. http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/info/estoolkit. Accessed 26 June 2014

  • Peh KS-H, Balmford A, Bradbury RB, Brown C, Butchart SHM, Hughes FMR, Stattersfield A, Thomas DHL, Walpole M, Bayliss J, Gowing D, Jones JPG, Lewis SL, Mulligan M, Pandeya B, Stratford C, Thompson JR, Turner K, Vira B, Willcock S, Birch JC (2013b) TESSA: a toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance. Ecosyst Serv 5:51–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pejchar L, Mooney HA (2009) Invasive species, ecosystem services and human well-being. Trends Ecol Evolut 24:497–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters-Stanley M, Hamilton K, Marcello T, Sjardin M (2011). Back to the Future: State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2011. Ecosyst Marketpl Bloom New Energy Financ. https://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/state-voluntary-carbon-offsets-2011.pdf. Accessed 28 June 2014

  • Phillips O, Bakers T, Feldpausch T, Brienen R (2009) RAINFOR field manual for plot establishment and remeasurement. RAINFOR Amazon forest inventory. http://www.rainfor.org/upload/ManualsEnglish/RAINFOR_field_manual_version_June_2009_ENG.pdftwork. Accessed 28 June 2014

  • Pimentel D, Lach L, Zuniga R, Morrison D (2000) Environmental and economic costs of nonindigenous species in the United States. Bioscience 50:53–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Point Carbon (2012) Volume of carbon traded in 2011 grew 19%, bucking downturn. http://www.pointcarbon.com/aboutus/pressroom/pressreleases/1.1714530

  • Pyšek P, Richardson DM, Pergl J, Jarosik V, Sixtova Z, Weber E (2008) Geographical and taxonomic biases in invasion ecology. Trends Ecol Evolut 23:237–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlaepfer MA, Sax DF, Olden JD (2011) The potential conservation value of non-native species. Conserv Biol 25:428–437

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz DC, Simberloff D, Hofstetter RH, Haller W, Sutton D (1997) The ecological impact of nonindiginous plants. In: Simberloff D, Schmitz DC, Brown TC (eds) Strangers in paradise. Island Press, Washington, pp 39–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff D (2011) How common are invasion-induced ecosystem impacts? Biol Invasions 13:1255–1268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith OB (1991) Fodder trees and shrubs in range and farming systems in tropical humid Africa. Legume trees and other fodder trees as protein sources for livestock. In: Speedy A, Pugliese, PL (ed), pp. 43–59. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation, Malaysia

  • Stern NH, Peters S, Bakhshi V, Bowen A, Cameron C, Catovsky S, Crane D, Cruickshank S, Dietz S, Edmonson N, Garbett S-L, Hamid L, Hoffman G, Ingram D, Jones B, Patmore N, Radcliffe H, Sathiyarajah R, Stock M, Taylor C, Vernon T, Wanjie H, Zenghelis D (2006) Stern review: the economics of climate change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sternreview_index.htm

  • Tallis HT, Ricketts T, Guerry AD, Wood SA, Sharp R, Nelson E, Ennaanay D, Wolny S, Olwero N, Vigerstol K, Pennington D, Mendoza G, Aukema J, Foster J, Forrest J, Cameron D, Arkema K, Lonsdorf E, Kennedy C, Verutes G, Kim CK, Guannel G, Papenfus M, Toft J, Marsik M, Bernhardt J, Griffin R. (2013) InVEST 2.5.3 User’s Guide. The natural capital project, Stanford. http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/InVEST.html

  • Tol RSJ (2010) The costs and benefits of EU climate policy for 2020. Copenhagen Consensus Center. http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/sites/default/files/cccTolPaper.pdf. Accessed 28 June 2014

  • van Beukering P, Brander L, Immerzeel D, Leotaud N, Mendes S, van Soesbergen A, Gerald C, McCauley C (2008) Economic valuation of the Centre Hills, Montserrat: final report. Van Beukering Consulting. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy

    Google Scholar 

  • van Bloem SJ, Lugo AE, Murphy PG (2006) Structural response of Caribbean dry forests to hurricane winds: a case study from Guanica forest, Puerto Rico. J Biogeogr 33:517–523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vila M, Espinar JL, Hejda M, Hulme PE, Jarosik V, Maron JL, Pergl J, Schaffner U, Sun Y, Pysek P (2011) Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta-analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecol Lett 14:702–708

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM, Walker LR (1989) Biological invasion by Myrica faya in Hawaii – plant demography, nitrogen-fixation, ecosystem effects. Ecol Monogr 59:247–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vtorov IP (1993) Feral pig removal: effects on soil microarthropods in a Hawaiian rain forest. J Wildl Manag 57:875–878

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells MP (1997) Economic perspectives on nature tourism, conservation and development. Environment Department Paper no. 55. World Bank, Washington

  • Zavaleta E (2000) The economic value of controlling an invasive shrub. Ambio 29:462–467

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Lloyd Aymer, James Boatswain, Calvin Fenton, Eudora Fergus (National Trust of Montserrat), Frank Hobbs (Department of Lands and Survey), James Glenford, Jervaine Greenaway, Giovanna Massei (Food and Environment research Agency), Lloyd Martin, Steffinella Meade (Montserrat Utilities Limited), Deloris Mullings, Philemon Murrain (National Trust of Montserrat), Melissa O’Garro (Department of Agriculture), Ishwar Persad (Department of Tourism), Alistair Homer (DOE), Sugoto Roy (Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratory) for providing KSHP with field supports. We are also grateful to the Royal Montserrat Police Force for the permission to entry into the exclusion zone. Donal McCarthy and Steffen Oppel kindly provided comments on a draft of the paper. This project was funded by Cambridge Conservation Initiative (research grant PFPA.GAAB), UNEP-WCMC, RSPB, Anglia Ruskin University and BirdLife International. TESSA is available at http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/info/estoolkit.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK

    Kelvin S.-H. Peh & Andrew Balmford

  2. Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Kelvin S.-H. Peh

  3. BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, UK

    Jennifer C. Birch, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Alison J. Stattersfield & David H. L. Thomas

  4. United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, CB3 0EL, UK

    Claire Brown & Matt Walpole

  5. Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing and the Environment, PO Box 272, Brades, Montserrat, UK

    James Daley, Gerard Gray & Stephen Mendes

  6. RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL, UK

    Jeffrey Dawson, James Millett & Richard B. Bradbury

  7. Animal and Environment Research Group, Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT, UK

    Francine M. R. Hughes

Authors
  1. Kelvin S.-H. Peh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrew Balmford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jennifer C. Birch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Claire Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stuart H. M. Butchart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. James Daley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jeffrey Dawson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Gerard Gray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Francine M. R. Hughes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Stephen Mendes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. James Millett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Alison J. Stattersfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. David H. L. Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Matt Walpole
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Richard B. Bradbury
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kelvin S.-H. Peh.

Appendices

Appendix 1: interview questions for tourists at the department hall of the airport on Montserrat

Interview date:

Number of people in the travel group:

  1. 1.

    Have you visited the Centre Hills during your stay in Montserrat?

    Yes—Please complete the rest of the questionnaire.

    No—End of the survey.

  2. 2.

    How many days will you spend away from home whilst on this trip?

    N.B. This should also include the days you spend elsewhere outside Montserrat, for example other Caribbean islands, if there are any.

    Answer: __________________

  3. 3.

    In total, how much money will you spend during your whole stay in this trip?

    (per person, or for the whole group)

    N.B. A) This should include your spend on travel (air, ferry, etc.), accommodation, food, local transport, tour guide, etc.

    B) This should include your spend elsewhere outside Montserrat, for example other Caribbean islands, if there are any.

    Answer: __________________ (per person/for the whole group*)

    * delete where appropriate

  4. 4.

    How many days have you spent at the Centre Hills during your trip?

    Answer: __________________

  5. 5.

    Would you come to the Centre Hills for these activities if the Central Hills remain forested, but the unique animals of Montserrat (e.g., Montserrat Oriole) have disappeared?

    Answer: Yes/No*

    * delete where appropriate.

Appendix 2: interview questions for hunters on Montserrat

Interview date:

  1. 1.

    How much meat (in terms of lbs)—for your own use and sale - did you collect from the Centre Hills in the past six months?

    (NB. Do not include the meat collected from DOE hunting trips)

    Answer: ______

  2. 2.

    What percentage of the meat is from pig, goat, sheep and cattle?

    Pig _____  %

    Goat _____  %

    Sheep _____  %

    Cattle _____  %

  3. 3.

    Would your answer to Q1 change if there is no additional income from DOE hunting trips? If yes, what is the estimated amount of meat you would have collected for the past six months? **

    Answer: ______

    ** Question for the Department of Environment hunters only.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Peh, K.SH., Balmford, A., Birch, J.C. et al. Potential impact of invasive alien species on ecosystem services provided by a tropical forested ecosystem: a case study from Montserrat. Biol Invasions 17, 461–475 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0743-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0743-9

Keywords

  • Carbon
  • Feral livestock
  • Guava
  • Harvested wild goods
  • Java plum
  • Nature-based tourism
  • Non-native
  • TESSA