Optimal management and valuation of a natural resource: the case of optimal harvesting

In this paper, we consider the problem of sustainable harvesting. We explain how the manager maximizes his/her profit according to the quantity of natural resource available in a harvesting area and under the constraint of penalties and fines when the quota is exceeded. We characterize the optimal values and some optimal strategies using a verification result. We then show by numerical examples that this optimal strategy is better than naive ones. Moreover, we define a level of fines which insures the double objective of the sustainable harvesting: a remaining quantity of available natural resource to insure its sustainability and an acceptable income for the manager.