This website uses cookies.

By clicking the "Accept" button or continuing to browse our site, you agree to first-party and session-only cookies being stored on your device to enhance site navigation and analyze site performance and traffic. For more information on our use of cookies, please see our Privacy Policy.

  1. Home
  2. Journals
  3. American Economic Review
  4. Forthcoming Articles
  5. The Social Costs of Keystone Species Collapse: Evidence from the Decline of Vultures in India

American Economic Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

The Social Costs of Keystone Species Collapse: Evidence from the Decline of Vultures in India

  • Eyal Frank
  • Anant Sudarshan
American Economic Review (Forthcoming)

Abstract

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.

Downloads