Adrián Schiavini, Doctor and Bachelor of Biological Sciences, main researcher at CADIC, spoke about the situation of exotic rabbits in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego.
Although they are found in different parts of the city, there are very important colonies in the Mirador del Fernández neighborhood and in the Akar neighborhood.
Environmental impact of exotic rabbits
Schiavini pointed out that “what is preventing the rabbit from escaping the city are the loose dogs or free-roaming dogs.” As he explained, the rabbit “is considered one of the 100 worst invasive exotic species in the world” since wherever it has been introduced, it has caused damage to vegetation and soil.
“The animal consumes vegetation and also destroys the soil and by destroying the soil, it destroys the vegetation, not only because it eats it but because it ruins the substrate where vegetation grows,” he explained.
Origin and consequences of rabbit introduction
The rabbit, mainly the Castilian rabbit, was introduced by colonizers as a result of the need to bring animal protein to new places being colonized from Europe. The researcher explained that after the rabbit destroys the land, erosion occurs due to wind or rain, which carries away the soil.
He emphasized that “where the soil regenerates a lot, this has no impact” although it does have a very strong impact in areas like ours, where soil regeneration is difficult. In other subantarctic environments such as those in Australia and New Zealand, the presence of the rabbit “has had tremendous impacts.”
Finally, Schiavini pointed out that “there are no public policies” at the local level to eradicate rabbit populations.
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