Actualization of the feral American mink (Neovison vison) distribution in Europe: a potential risk species for SARS-COV2

• Main Author: Vada, Rachele
• Other Authors: Vicente, Joaquín, European Commission, European Food Safety Authority
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: CSIC-UCLM - Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) 2021
• Subjects: Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/264670; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780

Máster Universitario de Investigación Básica y Aplicada en Recursos Cinegéticos. Being a threaten for conservation, the American mink (Neovison vison) is classified as an invasive alien species by the European Union. Moreover, it is uncertain its potential role in the on-going SARS-COV2 pandemic. With last mapping in the whole Europe dated 2007, the general aim of this project was to gather information about presence and distribution of this species, creating a harmonized map of Europe, pointing out the trends along the years, and the issues concerning harmonization of population data. Data was harmonized from different sources, and spatial resolutions grouped by year and transformed in 10x10km grid of presence and absence. Maps were compared to outline changes in time to point out the variation from the last actualization (2007). Whenever possible, hunting bags and capture statistics were used to perform quantitative analysis. We also reviewed the current situation mink farming over European countries and the existence on going population control schemes for the feral population. American mink is widespread in Spain, France, Scandinavia, main islands (UK, Iceland), Germany, Poland and Baltic Republics. Absence was detected in some areas of UK, Iceland and Norway, while at a country level, in the South-East part of Europe mainly. However, data still lack for the Eastern part of the continent. The species is still spreading across the continent, broadening its occupation areas in the countries where it was already present and with only sporadic cases of ceasing of detection (e.g., France). The relevant gaps of information and quality heterogeneity, illustrates the need of European harmonized data collection for wildlife as a key element to inform coordinated policies, which disregards of international borders. Particularly, monitoring efforts and data collection must be intensified in Eastern Europe to better depict the distribution range of this alien species, determining its occurrence and real absences. Our ...