Livelihood Interventions As Conservation Tools in Harvested Predator-Prey Systems

While the role of humans has been emphasized in the literature on ecosystem based fishery management (EBFM), lacking are clear models that allow examination of management actions that target the human element in EBFM. For example, super-predator models assume consumptive behavior of the super-predator, when in fact culling and unintentional bycatch by fisherman would violate this assumption. In this study, we expand on the super-predator model to mathematically demonstrate the efficacy of a livelihood intervention in a harvested predator-prey system. Our model includes a simple two sector economy in which labor transitions between the fishery and alternative livelihood strategy. Results suggest the efficacy of introducing an alternative livelihood opportunity to manage prey abundance, predator abundance, and system stability.