A conceptual framework for measuring and improving the resilience of biosecurity systems

Abstract Resilient systems can absorb and recover from disturbances and adapt to changed conditions to maintain system functionality. Uncertainty about the meaning of resilience and the attributes it requires has limited the application of resilience thinking in biosecurity. However, considering increasing pressures from trade, travel and climate change, enhancing the resilience of biosecurity systems is likely to be critical to reduce the impacts of pests and diseases on economies, societies and environments. Here we provide a pathway for resilience thinking into risk management. Based on a literature review we discuss its benefits, develop an operational definition of resilience for biosecurity systems and identify the fundamental attributes that support resilience. We show that resilient biosecurity systems can anticipate disturbances, cope with low‐probability high‐impact events and adapt to new and changing circumstances. The status of biosecurity system resilience can be measured using evaluative rubrics, which give decision‐makers an overall performance rating and insight into system weaknesses. General measures, objective functions and simulation approaches are potential avenues for quantifying biosecurity system resilience in practice. Policy implications : Adopting resilience thinking into biosecurity risk management has the potential to reduce the damages caused by invading pests and diseases. If resilience thinking is used alongside traditional risk analysis, then regulators can more effectively address and prepare for the systemic consequences of high‐impact incursions and outbreaks of pests and diseases, which are unpredictable, low‐probability events. However, the design of resilience‐enhancing measures should be guided by economic principles and consider the rate of return of these measures over time.