Data and code for: The Social Costs of Keystone Species Collapse: Evidence From The Decline of Vultures in India

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Eyal G. Frank, University of Chicago. Harris School of Public Policy; Anant Sudarshan, University of Warwick: Department of Economics

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
FINAL			06/26/2024 12:20:PM
INTERMEDIATE			06/26/2024 12:20:PM
RAW			06/26/2024 12:20:PM

Project Description

Summary: Scientific evidence has documented that we are undergoing a mass extinction of species, caused by human activity. However, allocating conservation resources is difficult due to scarce evidence on damages from losing individual species. This paper studies the collapse of vultures in India, triggered by the expiry of a patent on a painkiller. Our results suggest the functional extinction of vultures—efficient scavengers who removed carcasses from the environment—increased human mortality by over 4% because of a large negative shock to sanitation. We quantify damages at $69.4 billion per year. These results suggest high returns to conserving keystone species such as vultures.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      I10 Health: General
      Q56 Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
      Q57 Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services; Biodiversity Conservation; Bioeconomics; Industrial Ecology

Geographic Coverage: India

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Published Versions

V1 [2024-08-16]

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