The release of biological control agents has been an important means of controlling invasive species for over 150 years. While these releases have led to the sustainable control of over 250 invasive pest and weed species worldwide, a minority have caused environmental harm. A growing recognition of the risks of biological control led to a focus on risk assessment beginning in the 1990s along with a precipitous decline in releases. While this new focus greatly improved the safety of biological control, it came at the cost of lost opportunities to solve environmental problems associated with invasive species. A framework that incorporates benefits and risks of biological control is thus needed to understand the net environmental effects of biological control releases. We introduce such a framework, using native biodiversity as the common currency for both benefits and risks. The model is based on interactions among four categories of organisms: (1) the biological control agent, (2) the invasive species (pest or weed) targeted by the agent, (3) one or more native species that stand to benefit from the control of the target species, and (4) one or more native species that are at risk of being harmed by the released biological control agent. Conservation values of the potentially benefited and harmed native species are incorporated as well, and they are weighted according to three axes: vulnerability to extinction, the ecosystem services provided, and cultural significance. Further, we incorporate the potential for indirect risks to native species, which we consider will result mainly from the ecological process of agent enrichment that may occur if the agent exploits but does not control the target pest or weed. We illustrate the use of this framework by retrospectively analyzing the release of the vedalia beetle, Novius (= Rodolia) cardinalis, to control the cottony cushion scale, Icerya purchasi, in the Galapagos Islands. While the framework is particularly adaptable to biological control releases in natural areas, it can also be used in managed settings, where biological control protects native species through the reduction of pesticide use.

中文翻译：

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基于保护本地生物多样性的生物防治引入的效益-风险分析


150 多年来，释放生物防治剂一直是控制入侵物种的重要手段。虽然这些释放导致了对全球 250 多种入侵性害虫和杂草物种的可持续控制，但其中少数物种造成了环境危害。人们对生物防治风险的认识不断加深，从 20 世纪 90 年代开始，人们开始关注风险评估，同时排放量也急剧下降。虽然这一新重点极大地提高了生物防治的安全性，但代价是失去了解决与入侵物种相关的环境问题的机会。因此，需要一个包含生物防治效益和风险的框架来了解生物防治释放对环境的净影响。我们引入了这样一个框架，使用本地生物多样性作为利益和风险的共同货币。该模型基于四类生物体之间的相互作用：(1) 生物防治剂，(2) 生物防治剂针对的入侵物种（害虫或杂草），(3) 一种或多种将从生物防治剂中受益的本地物种。控制目标物种，以及 (4) 一种或多种面临被释放的生物控制剂伤害风险的本地物种。潜在受益和受害本地物种的保护价值也被纳入其中，并根据三个轴进行加权：濒临灭绝的脆弱性、提供的生态系统服务和文化意义。此外，我们还考虑了对本地物种潜在的间接风险，我们认为这主要是由于药剂富集的生态过程造成的，如果药剂利用但不控制目标害虫或杂草，则可能会发生这种过程。 我们通过回顾性分析维达利亚甲虫 Novius (= Rodolia) cardinalis 的释放来控制加拉帕戈斯群岛的棉垫规模 Icerya purchasi 来说明该框架的用途。虽然该框架特别适用于自然区域的生物控制释放，但它也可以用于受管理的环境，其中生物控制通过减少农药的使用来保护本地物种。