Ecological and economic assessments of native vertebrate pest control in France

1.7 million foxes, mustelids and corvids are culled in France annually to reduce sanitary risks and economic losses to human activities and properties. The efficiency of the implemented lethal control strategy has never been assessed. We analyzed seven years of data reporting damage costs and lethal control effort across the country, and failed to find a link between control effort and change in reported damage costs, and reducing even cancelling control effort does not boost damage. We further report that the control effort does not drive breeding numbers in corvids. We also provide the first economic assessment of native vertebrate pest control in France. The monetary valuation of lethal control effort was estimated at 103–123 million euros annually, while official annual damage costs sum to 8–23 million euros. There is no evidence of any benefit from control effort. Lethal control does not drive population numbers, and possibly reduces ecosystem services associated with these species, including rodent predation and seed dispersal.