Description of impact
The eradication of alien invasive species is a conservation priority, but is rarely attempted in mainland areas given the logistical and economic challenges of species control over large areas. Any effective control programme must be underpinned by robust scientific understanding of the population ecology of the target species to ensure control is appropriately focussed and directed, and that efforts are not swamped by compensatory dispersal from neighbouring regions.A University of Aberdeen study of water vole population ecology recognised sharp declines in numbers and identified the invasive, predatory American mink as a primary driver of population extinction. The world's largest mainland species eradication programme was then put in place by Aberdeen, involving many hundreds of volunteers. It has successfully removed breeding mink from over 10,000 km2 of Scotland and secured the future of an iconic symbol of natural heritage. This conservation success story is now used as a template for the management of invasive mink in other eradication initiatives in Scotland and internationally.
The research thereby impacted the conservation of natural resources and policy and planning of management.
Impact status | Impact Completed (Open) |
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Category of impact | Health and Wellbeing |
Documents & Links
Related content
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Research output
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Using population genetic structure of an invasive mammal to target control efforts: an example of the American mink in Scotland
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Do rabbits eat voles? Apparent competition, habitat heterogeneity and large-scale coexistence under mink predation
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Water vole in the Scottish uplands: distribution patterns of disturbed and pristine populations ahead and behind the American mink invasion front
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Turning back the tide of American mink invasion at an unprecedented scale through community participation and adaptive management
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Landscape barriers reduce gene flow in an invasive carnivore: geographical and local genetic structure of American mink in Scotland
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Understanding the Determinants of Volunteer Retention Through Capture-Recapture Analysis: Answering Social Science Questions Using a Wildlife Ecology Toolkit
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review