Invaders in an invadable land: The case of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in the Tierra del Fuego – Cape Horn region of South America

CHRISTOPHER B. ANDERSON

Principles of Conservation Biology 3rd Edition

Sinauer and Associates

Lugar: Boston; Año: 2005; p. 321 - 322

The very mention of Tierra del Fuego or Cape Horn conjures up images of remoteness, isolation and severity. It even was identified as one of the thirty-seven most pristine areas left in the world (Mettermeier et al. 2001). Yet while to many people, southern South America is terra incognita, an unknown land, it clearly does not escape the current global-scale ecosystem alterations caused by such phenomena as exotic species, global warming and the ozone hole. The ecological importance of southern South America, one of the world’s last remaining “pristine” sites, cannot be overlooked. However, research priorities need to account for these combined anthropogenic influences to elucidate their effects on the region’s ecology. The beaver, in particular, needs special attention because as an exotic ecosystem engineer is impacts by definition influence the whole system.