Resilience and stability of harvested predator-prey systems to infectious diseases in the predator

In the context of global change, emerging risks associated with parasites, invasive species and infectious diseases are an important issue especially for developing countries whose economies are resource-based. Our objective is to provide a mathematical framework to study the response of a harvested predator-prey system to a disease in the predator and proportional harvesting of predator. We combine a classical predator-prey model with an eco-epidemiological model where predator disease is modeled by a Susceptible-Infected (SI) epidemic system. Our results question the adoption of conservative harvest policies in order to enhance the resilience and stability of harvested ecological systems to emerging infectious diseases. Indeed we show that harvest can be an effective strategy for controling the spread of the disease and enhancing the resilience of the ecosystem. Whereas the disease can become endemic in the population at low harvest rates, it can be completely eradicated by harvesting the predator at a sufficiently high rate.