IS THE EUROPEAN RABBIT A REAL PROBLEM IN ARGENTINA? A SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE

GOMEZ, JONATAN J.; CASSINI, MARCELO H.

Conferencia; 3rd International Compassionate Conservation Conference; 2017

Universidad Tecnológica de Sydney

The rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was introduced in two places in Argentina: it entered fromChile to the central-west zone (province of Mendoza, 1950) and was introduced in thesouthernmost part of the country (Tierra del Fuego, 1940). Although knowledge about theimpact of rabbit populations is limited, Argentinean agencies of wildlife conservation, such asthe national park system, assume that this species is a threat and act accordingly. Our objectivewas to determine the potential suitability of the Argentine territory for this species, and theconnectivity of suitable areas. We used species distribution models to model a niche proxy ofthe European rabbit in the world, making use of the distribution data provided by GBIF (GlobalBiology Information Facility) database, climatic data, topography, vegetation (NDVI) and soiltype. We also determined the connectivity between current populations and suitable zonesusing circuit theory, using the territory?s suitability as a measure of environmental permeability.Only 0.05% of the Argentine territory is suitable for the settlement of stable populations ofEuropean rabbit. The largest uninterrupted area of suitable territory is in the central-east of thecountry. This area is not currently occupied and is located more than 1100 km away from thenearest population. The connectivity is mostly low. The population of Tierra del Fuego isdisconnected from the rest of the territory (resistance value = -1). These results suggest that theimpact dimension predicted by wildlife conservation agencies from Argentina should bereassessed.