Scoping the value and performance of interventions across the NZ biosecurity
The project applies a simple model structure to the biosecurity risk presented by each pest and estimates the individual and collective impact of activities that are undertaken by MPI and other parties upon the exposure to biosecurity risk presented by the pests.
In order to increase the efficiency of biosecurity investment and to identify opportunities for substantial improvement, MPI needs to determine the contribution of each layer towards biosecurity effectiveness. Presently, there is no framework or process available to evaluate the value of biosecurity activities implemented at intersecting sites across the biosecurity system matrix. Without comparative knowledge on the likely effectiveness and costs of activities and control measures, risk management decisions on measures and allocation of resources at different “nodes” cannot be systematically evaluated.
This project seeks to scope a high-level framework or approach that significantly improves risk management decisions and resource allocation throughout the biosecurity system (from pre-border to pest management) by applying a systematic risk / return approach and evidence based analysis. The project will focus on estimating the proportional value of biosecurity activities in one or more case studies, tentatively identified as fruit flies and brown marmorated stinkbug.
The project will seek to leverage the considerable lower level and more detailed information that is available within the MPI, such as interception, incursion and surveillance data, to help build feedback on system performance back into the higher level risk return framework. A pilot analysis that explores any unrealised (to date) potential benefits of organism data collected across the biosecurity system (set within a valid scientific context in terms of limitations of the data) would help inform how we could better use such feedback loops in the end-to-end (i.e. pre-border to border to pest management) coverage of biosecurity regulation.
