45115.7 Research Needs
This fi nal section of the chapter discusses areas where further research into the eco-
nomics of Bromus is needed. The research needs are divided into two categories:
research that relaxes the economic modeling assumptions made in previous studies
to better capture land managers’ decision-making regarding Bromus and research
that considers economic features of the Bromus management problem that have not
previously been analyzed. Despite the growing literature on the economics of exotic
invasive plants, relatively few studies have focused specifi cally on Bromus. Targeted
studies are needed because, as discussed above, aspects of Bromus invasion—such
as the fact that eradication is not a realistic management outcome on most invaded
sites—are not shared by many of the other invasive plants analyzed in the previous
economics literature.
To ensure that future research into the economics of Bromus management is of
practical value to land managers, policy-makers , and other stakeholders, economists
must continue to coordinate their work with rangeland ecologists and other scien-
tists engaged in Bromus research, as well as with ranchers, public land managers ,
and others involved in on-the-ground Bromus management. Input from these vari-
ous sources is vital to ensuring that the complex ecology of Bromus invasion is
accurately captured in future economic models and that future economic analysis
focuses on timely and relevant Bromus management issues.
15.7.1 Research Needs: Modeling Assumptions
Further research is needed that relaxes the modeling assumptions made in previous
economic studies of Bromus management to better capture land managers’
decision-making:
- Further research is needed into how land managers’ attitudes toward risk infl u-
ence their decision-making regarding Bromus management. Attitudes toward
risk are likely to be relevant because managers must balance the upfront costs of
management against uncertain future benefi ts. Further research could explore
whether conventional analysis of decision-making under risk based on expected
utility theory can explain observed Bromus management, as well as the relevance
of concepts such as probability weighting and loss ave rsion emphasized in pros-
pect theory (Kahneman and Tversky 1979 ). - Further research is needed that analyzes the decision-making of land managers
who have imperfect knowledge of the ecology of Bromus and the consequences
of management actions to control Bromus , to shed light on the extent to which
limited knowledge explains observed management (or lack thereof) of Bromus
on western rangelands.
15 Economic Modeling and the Management of Exotic Annual Bromus Species...