Abstract
The appropriate response for controlling an invasive non-native species depends on the extent to which its invasion has progressed, which can be revealed by information on its distribution and abundance. Reeves’ muntjac is a native deer to China and Taiwan, but has been introduced and become well-established in Great Britain. Moreover, in recent years, reports and verified records in the wild from other European countries have become more frequent. We reviewed the status of Reeves’ muntjac in Britain and evaluated its national range expansion from 2002 to 2016. While the British population appears to have tripled in size since 1995, the rate at which it has expanded its range seems to have peaked at approximately 12% per year between 2002 and 2005 and has since declined. We also consolidated observations on its international distribution, including a conservative evaluation of its presence in zoological collections. We predict that this species could expand its range to include every European country, although the availability of suitable landcover and climate is likely to vary substantially between countries. To prevent the significant impacts to conservation interests that have been observed in Great Britain from extending across Europe, national administrations should consider eradicating Reeves’ muntjac while that is still feasible.
Highlights
The Convention on Biological Diversity and EU Regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) (Moore 2020) demand action against IAS since they can impact populations, species and the ecosystems in which they live
Belgium arrival, rapid removal to prevent establishment, or eradication to reverse an invasion and ongoing control of well-established populations (Simberloff 2003). Which of these options is appropriate depends on the availability of resources for management, the type of invasion curve exhibited by the species in question (Shigesada and Kawasaki 2002) and the location of the species on the invasion curve (Carboneras et al 2018)
The extent of muntjac kept lawfully in licenced collections was evaluated by searching the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS: https://www.species360.org/ products-services/zoo-aquarium-animal-managementsoftware-2/ searched 17 October 2019), a global database of 1100 zoological collections across 96 countries, for records of Muntiacus reevesi
Summary
The Convention on Biological Diversity (https://www.cbd. int/invasive/done.shtml accessed 13 January 2020) and EU Regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) (Moore 2020) demand action against IAS since they can impact populations, species and the ecosystems in which they live. Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Deberiotstraat 32 Box 2439, 3000 Leuven, Belgium arrival, rapid removal to prevent establishment, or eradication to reverse an invasion and ongoing control of well-established populations (Simberloff 2003). Which of these options is appropriate depends on the availability of resources for management, the type of invasion curve exhibited by the species in question (Shigesada and Kawasaki 2002) and the location of the species on the invasion curve (Carboneras et al 2018). Cooke (2019) described attempts to introduce muntjac to several locations throughout Europe, few of
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