Abstract
Ecología Austral 24:173-182 (2014)The American mink is a widespread invasive carnivore in Patagonia, and due to its foraging behavior that allows it to exploit a wide variety of prey, it is the exotic carnivore with the highest potential impact on the region’s biodiversity. Available regional information on mink presence/absence, as well as abundance estimations, is scarce even though it is vital to plan management actions. Here, we integrate the confirmed distribution of mink in Patagonia with its potential presence for areas where information is lacking, based on the location of animal releases and estimated dispersal rates. We propose an Area Prioritization Tool (APT) for invasive species management by overlapping habitat suitability, current known range, colonization fronts and areas deemed important for biodiversity conservation. Among the prioritized areas, we selected three and suggested a Protocol for Eradication Tasks (PET), based on successful mink eradication experiences in Europe. Finally, we estimated the relative costs associated with the PET’s implementation in each area. We present this work as a systematic, applied tool to show a feasible way to face the invasive species problems in Patagonia and their management.
Highlights
The human-mediated redistribution of species around the globe is creating a world without natural barriers, which used to shelter original ecosystems from biota immigration (Mack et al 2000)
We propose an Area Prioritization Tool (APT) for invasive species management by overlapping habitat suitability, current known range, colonization fronts and areas deemed important for biodiversity conservation
Within the total area of Argentinean Patagonia 3(46 cells,Figure 2a) we considered six invasion sources located in Neuquén (1), Chubut (2), Santa Cruz (1) and Tierra del Fuego (2) Provinces (Figure 2.a)
Summary
The human-mediated redistribution of species around the globe is creating a world without natural barriers, which used to shelter original ecosystems from biota immigration (Mack et al 2000). Once alien species succeed in the novel ecosystem, they may drive native species to extinction, which is irreversible and considered the second most important humancaused driver of global biodiversity loss (Vitousek et al 1997). As developing countries in the global South tend to have larger and more diverse natural habitats than richer ones in the North, management strategies to control invasions applied in developing countries could be very important for global biodiversity conservation (Nuñez & Pauchard 2010). Research on biological invasions is still strongly biased towards developed nations, where the available knowledge of basic scientific knowledge of natural ecosystems is greater (Nuñez & Pauchard 2010).
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