Alien Species.vp - IUCN

New Zealand legislation also generally places many or all of the costs of decision-making on
the applicant who will benefit from the decision (i.e., user pays approach). This may not always
be appropriate, however. It is necessary to consider whether the costs of complying with a
statutory process might act as a perverse incentive for illegal actions, or a barrier to economic
development.
Where the control of a pest imposes costs on an innocent party, New Zealand’s legislation
sets out how compensation will be assessed and paid. For example, the Biosecurity Act 1993
provides that where goods are requisitioned or destroyed during pest control work, the owners
will be compensated so that they are in no better or worse position than anyone who was not
directly affected by the control work.
Conclusions
Dealing with invasive alien species involves societal choices. Science can inform but not make
those choices. The decision-maker should be the appropriate body given the nature of the
decision. In deciding who is appropriate, account should be taken of:
■ What are the relevant communities of interest, and to what community of interest is the
decision-maker accountable;
■ Whether the decision involves a significant political element, or is largely technical in
nature; and
■ Whether the decision-maker is significantly constrained by legislation or other
guidance, or has considerable discretion.
It is also necessary to decide how many layers of decision and appeal will be provided, and
the nature of any appeals. Because decisions involve making choices on behalf of society, and
because the results of those decisions affect societal and private interests, it will generally be
appropriate to allow public input to significant decisions.
Choices are essentially the result of considering the balance between costs and benefits of an
action. It is important to determine in advance what costs and what benefits are relevant to the
decision, the relative weight that will be assigned to particular costs and particular benefits,
who will bear any costs of the decision-making process, and of the final decision, and how
uncertainty will be handled. Uncertainty is a fact of life in assessing costs and benefits of alien
species issues, and a precautionary approach should be applied.
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Human dimensions of invasive alien species