A focus on long-run sustainability of a harvested prey predator system in the presence of alternative prey

Within the framework of a general equilibrium model we study the long-run dynamics of a prey-predator model in the presence of an alternative prey. Our results show that sustainability, i.e. a positive value of the population in the long run, essentially depends on individual harvesting efforts and digesting factors relative to alternative prey. A detailed bifurcation analysis evidences the richness of possible long-run dynamics. Our model clearly shows that the role of an alternative prey must be taken into consideration when studying prey-predator dynamics.