Beavers in Southern Patagonia
The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is an invasive species in Tierra del Fuego, at the southern end of Patagonia. Tierra del Fuego is a large island encompassing parts of Chile and Argentina, so that policies and actions to control the species have mainly been binational. The beavers were introduced to the area in 1946 in an effort by the Argentine government to establish a fur trade in the region.[2] Since then, the beavers have spread throughout most of Tierra del Fuego and have also been seen on the Brunswick Peninsula of mainland Chile.[3] When the fur trade failed to establish, the beavers became problematic and the two governments agreed to intervene to eradicate them.[4][5]
A June 2011 NPR report stated that the beavers have caused millions of dollars of damage.[6] According to Nature, it is the largest eradication project ever attempted.[7]
Background and history
In 1946, the Argentinian government imported fifty beavers from Canada, which were to be released in Cami Lake with the intention of creating a commercial fur trading industry. Though a viable industry ultimately failed to establish, the introduction of beavers into the region has had far-reaching consequences.[6]
As well as felling trees, the animals create
A 2017 survey of Tierra del Fuego land managers and researchers showed significant support for eradicating beavers and restoring the landscape. The support for eradication is strongest among managers, while support for restoration is stronger among researchers.[11]
Impacts
The impact of the beavers on Tierra del Fuego's forest landscape has been described as "the largest landscape-level alteration in subantarctic forests since the last ice age."[12] One factor contributing to their success as invaders is the lack of predators in Tierra del Fuego.[13] Another is the reluctance of local people to hunt beavers,[14] which has led to the beaver population growing almost exponentially. Another factor is that Tierra del Fuego provides exceptional habit for beavers, with much of the area being close to watercourses, and forested with trees and other plants that provide sources of food and shelter.[15]
Beaver damage to the environment of Tierra del Fuego has been extensive, including structural changes in habitat, including the destruction of
Apart from causing structural changes to the landscape, an act which causes a cascade of effects along the entire ecosystem by destroying habitat and also facilitating invasions of other exotic plants and animals,[17] beavers have affected the local human population as their range expanded from the originally remote introduction site. Impacts include the flooding of roads and farmland, as well as the destruction of internet and cell service poles, and livestock fences. It is estimated that these problems cost Argentina alone $66 million a year.[18]
Policies
One attempt to address the problem was through encouraging recreational hunting of the animal, with previous protection laws repealed.
In 2008, Chile and Argentina passed binational legislation, Resolution 157/10, that ended the policy of population control and called for complete
Methods
Some park rangers use
See also
References
- ^ "#46 Beavers in Tierra del Fuego | Atlas Vivo de Chile".
- hdl:11336/133992.
- PMID 32330157.
- ^ a b Gotkine, Elliott (2 May 2005). "Argentina's great beaver plague". Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ISSN 1173-5988.
- ^ a b c d e f Forero, Juan (24 June 2011). "Imported Beavers Gnaw Away At Argentina's Forest". NPR. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ PMID 18563116.
- Natural Sciences. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Campbell, Ruairidh. "Philopatry and territoriality in the Eurasian beaver". Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "Beavers in Tierra del Fuego". Living Atlas of Chile. January 13, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2014. Short documentary about the beavers and the damage they cause in Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile.
- hdl:11336/63553. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- hdl:11336/133992.
- .
- hdl:11336/133992.
- PMID 32330157.
- S2CID 7789288.
- .
- ^ Parkes, JP; Campbell, KJ. "Control of North American Beavers in Tierra del Fuego: Feasibility of Eradication and Alternative Management Options" (PDF). Island Conservation. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ Pisani, Silvia (21 September 1998). "La batalla contra el invencible castor". La Nacion. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- S2CID 221283726.
- ^ "Resolución 157/10 – Acuerdo Argentina y Chile sobre Restauración de Ecosistemas Australes". Argentina Ambiental. Boletín Oficial. 27 October 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Gilliland, HC (25 July 2019). "Invasive Beavers are destroying Tierra del Fuego". nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Parkes, J.P.; Paulson, J.; Donlan, C.J.; Campbell, K. (March 2008). "Control of North American Beavers in Tierra del Fuego: Feasibility of Eradication and Alternative Management Options" (PDF). Comité Binacional para la Estrategia de Erradicación de Castor es de Patagonia Austral/Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
- ^ Forero, Juan (June 19, 2011). "Beavers devouring Argentine forests, but some cringe at eradication plan". Bangor Daily News. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2013.