ESTIMACIÓN DE IMPACTO DE VERTEBRADOS EXOTICOS EN ÁREAS PROTEGIDAS Y ZONAS DE AMORTIGUAMIENTO DE LA AMAZONIA ECUATORIANA.

Abstract

Protected areas (PA) are key components for biodiversity conservation, therefore, exotic species represent a major problem. In Ecuador, information focuses on Galapagos; while, in continental territory there are few studies on their invasiveness and impact. This study aimed to estimate the impact of invasion of exotic vertebrates in 10 protected areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon and buffer zones (BZ). For the inventory, information was collected from biodiversity databases, research articles, university projects, public institutions and management plans of the selected PAs. To determine the impact, the EICAT protocol was used, where a literature review was executed to obtain information on the reported impacts. A total of 15 terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates were inventoried, 14 of which were found in the PAs and 9 in the BZs, with repeated species in both areas; Anolis sagrei was recorded only in the PAs and Oncorhynchus mykiss only in the BZs. The PA with the highest richness was Cuyabeno, and Yasuní was the richest in the BZs. The species with the highest number of records was Bubulcus ibis in both areas. Most of them were classified as moderate risk, with competition and predation being the most predominant mechanisms. It was concluded that EICAT can be applied effectively to categorize and quantify the impacts of exotic species, which could be replicated to PAs throughout the country to prioritize their management. However, due to the lack of information, it must be complemented with related studies.