Prioritizing management actions for invasive populations using cost, efficacy, demography, and expert opinion for 14 plant species worldwide

Management of invasive populations is typically investigated case-by-case. Comparative approaches have been applied to single aspects of management, such as demography, with cost or efficacy rarely incorporated. We present an analysis of the ranks of management actions for 14 species in five countries that extends beyond the use of demography alone to include multiple metrics for ranking management actions, which integrate cost, efficacy and demography (cost-effectiveness) and managers’ expert opinion of ranks. We use content analysis of manager surveys to assess the multiple criteria managers use to rank management strategies. Analysis of the matrix models for managed populations showed that all management actions led to reductions in population growth rate (λ), with a median 48% reduction in λ across all management units; however, only 66% of the actions led to declining populations (λ < 1). Each management action ranked by cost-effectiveness and cost had a unique rank; however, el...