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2 - Statistical analysis of damage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2009

Jim Hone
Affiliation:
University of Canberra
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Summary

Imagine a scene of many square kilometres of semi-arid shrubland where an isolated population of 1000 goats is eating the local shrubs. The scene could be interpreted in many ways. In their native environment, or one long-managed for agriculture, the goats may be called indigenous or domestic animals respectively. In other parts of the world the goats may be called pests. What is the difference? It is the effect that the goats have on the shrubland rather than the goats themselves that can be annoying and may necessitate pest control. Hence, some scientific assessment of the effects of the goats is needed.

In a broader context, it is the damage of vertebrate pests that justifies their economic control. It is often the origin (indigenous or exotic) or legal status (declared pest) of a species that is the social justification for control. Non-native species are often labelled as pests without careful assessment of their pest status; are their effects really damage? The differentiation between the impact of a species and the species itself is fundamental to control and to the topics reviewed in this book. This chapter is concerned with estimating the damage of vertebrate pests. Emphasis is on the statistical aspects of design and sampling, with case studies used to illustrate the principles. Finally, there is a review of the analyses used.

For effective pest control it is fundamental to determine the pest status of an animal.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1994

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  • Statistical analysis of damage
  • Jim Hone, University of Canberra
  • Book: Analysis of Vertebrate Pest Control
  • Online publication: 08 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525797.003
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  • Statistical analysis of damage
  • Jim Hone, University of Canberra
  • Book: Analysis of Vertebrate Pest Control
  • Online publication: 08 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525797.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Statistical analysis of damage
  • Jim Hone, University of Canberra
  • Book: Analysis of Vertebrate Pest Control
  • Online publication: 08 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525797.003
Available formats
×