Wildlife disease, land use, and the tragedy of the commons - theorizing economic solutions to the problem of wildlife disease control

Abstract

Wildlife diseases are a significant and growing portion of emerging and re-emerging diseases affecting humans, and the single largest contributing factor to this increase is human modification of wildlife habitat. Despite the significant public cost associated with mitigating the growing disease risk, individual actors in the economy that are responsible for the increased risk do not bear the costs of their activities, creating an unsustainable “tragedy of the commons” scenario. While community-based rules may independently develop to prevent resource collapse in other cases, such options are not available for wildlife health; legal intervention is required. Tort-based cost recovery is a common tool for cost allocation for risk-taking in society, and the principles of tort law can be adapted to accommodate actions for wildlife disease. Statute-based cost recovery mechanisms – which have become increasingly popular for health care cost recovery – are an even more promising alternative that allows for more efficient and effective cost allocation for wildlife disease.