Cost-benefit analysis for the reintroduction of lynx to the UK: main report

• Main Authors: White, Chris, Convery, Ian, Eagle, Adam, O'Donoghue, Paul, Piper, Steve, Rowcroft, Petrina, Smith, Darrell, van Maanen, Erwin
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: AECOM 2015
• Subjects: 599 Mammals; 639 Hunting; fishing & conservation; Lynx; Lynx lynx lynx
• Online Access: http://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/2127/; https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/2127/1/Convery_CostBenefitAnalysis.pdf; http://www.aecom.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Cost-benefit-analysis-for-the-reintroduction-of-lynx-to-the-UK-Main-report.pdf

The EU Habitats Directive requires Member States to assess the potential and desirability of reintroducing species which have been lost, and to look at other Member States’ experiences to support such assessments. In light of these requirements, the Lynx UK Trust is proposing to undertake a trial reintroduction programme of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) at several potential sites in the UK. As part of the preparation for any translocation or reintroduction programme, guidelines prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) state that an assessment of the anticipated costs and benefits of a reintroduction should be incorporated into planning for such programmes. On the basis of these guidelines, AECOM have been asked by the Lynx UK Trust to undertake an impartial and independent analysis of the potential economic costs and benefits to the proposed lynx reintroduction scheme in the UK based on a combination of modelling and data collected from European lynx studies. The analysis draws on the guidance for undertaking cost-benefit analysis set out by the UK government. In particular, it follows the framework set out in The Green Book which states that a cost-benefit analysis should quantify as many of the costs and benefits of a proposal in monetary terms as is feasible, including impacts for which the market does not provide a satisfactory measure of economic value. The Green Book further states that in the early stages of identifying and appraising a proposal only summary data is normally required, while at the later stages of an assessment data should be refined to become more specific and accurate. The analysis in this report is therefore proportionate to the resources involved, outcomes at stake, and the time available. As such, the results should be taken as an initial indicative estimate of the potential costs and benefits of the lynx reintroduction scheme. This approach should provide a proportionate study for the purposes of licensing a trial of the effects of the reintroduction of lynx to the UK, with further studies of the economic impact being undertaken if the trial is adopted.