Distribution and Management of Nutria ( Myocastor coypus ) Populations in South Korea

Young-Chae Kim, Areum Kim, Jongpyo Lim, Tae-Su Kim, Su-Gon Park, Minhan Kim, Jung-Hyo Lee, Jung Ro Lee and Do-Hun Lee
Additional contact information
Young-Chae Kim: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
Areum Kim: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
Jongpyo Lim: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Tae-Su Kim: Department of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Su-Gon Park: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
Minhan Kim: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
Jung-Hyo Lee: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
Jung Ro Lee: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
Do-Hun Lee: National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseru-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: In 2014, the South Korean government initiated the “Nutria Eradication Project” to actively manage and control populations of nutria, an invasive alien species that threatens national biodiversity. In the present study, we examined domestic nutria habitats in 2014 to 2018 and analyzed spatial shifts in habitat distribution to develop management policies and eradication strategies for the South Korean Ministry of Environment. A total of 27,487 nutria individuals were captured over five years upon the initiation of the eradication project. We found that the number of habitat tracks decreased from 1510 in 19 administrative districts in 2014 to 176 in 14 districts in 2018. We examined the distribution of nutria habitat tracks and found a northwestward shift at an average angle of 313.9° and 46,656.9 m. This distribution shift prompted improvements in control policies focused on nutria capture to suppress rodent movement and shifting distributions. We redefined the spatial scope of our control regions accordingly and established isolated environments in each region to prevent further spread. Additionally, resource management was focused in areas showing habitat expansion. Overall, we observed an estimated 54% decrease in nutria habitat tracks from 2016 to 2017. Our results have since been enacted in government policies and provide a basis for establishing flexible strategies for effectively controlling nutria habitats and populations. In 2017, the South Korean government allocated additional funds for research and for the development of further control strategies working toward the project’s goals.

Keywords: invasive alien species; habitat; Nakdong River; distribution pattern; biodiversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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