An assessment of the economic return of specific early detection surveillance for Asian Gypsy Moth

Nathaniel Bloomfield and Tony Arthur

Close up of the Asian gypsy moth
Source: Shutterstock

Overview

Australia has an active surveillance trapping program for Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) – a pest that could cause significant impacts should it establish.

This study, conducted in 2019, used a complex bioeconomic analysis to assess in detail the probability of detecting a population with different trapping grid densities and whether the costs of the current program could be justified.

The original report was provided to the department in 2019 and shared with relevant state and territory stakeholders with responsibility for implementing the AGM trapping program.

Publicly released for the first time, the report will make it easier for others to access and cite the technical approach, facilitating its use for assessment and design of other specific surveillance systems.

Key Finding

  • The current gypsy moth early detection surveillance trapping using a grid spacing of 5km is a defensible investment of resources.

Download the report

An assessment of the economic return of specific early detection surveillance for Asian Gypsy Moth (PDF 2.37 MB).