While no simple solutions exist for this complex scientific challenge, information on BTS populations, activity patterns, diet, venom characteristics, behavior, and magnitude of socioeconomic damages has grown. An overview of the problems caused by the Brown Tree Snake on Guam and the ways Pacific Island residents and travelers can help prevent BTS problems in other areas. The BTS has serious economic impacts on Guam. Understanding the severity of the problem and evaluating the risks to other islands is necessary for the allocation of commensurate resources towards management of the problem. The snake poses a serious burden to Guam's electrical power supply and to all commercial and residential users.
Documented outages show regular increases in outages during seasonal and peak risk hour periods.
Predation of farm animals, poultry, and pets have documented additional economic consequences. Total costs resulting from endangered species constraints on island development are incalculable. Ecological effects are primarily the impacts of BTS with its prey species and their ecological interactions with other species. An example is the effects of the loss of pollinators for Guam's forest trees. Domestic species, covered under other subtopics, are excluded from this category.