The successful introduction of the alpine marmot <i><scp>M</scp>armota marmota</i> in the <scp>P</scp>yrenees, <scp>I</scp>berian <scp>P</scp>eninsula, <scp>W</scp>estern <scp>E</scp>urope

Abstract

Abstract The introduction of non‐native species can pose environmental and economic risks, but under some conditions, introductions can serve conservation or recreational objectives. To minimize risks, introductions should be conducted following the I nternational U nion for C onservation of N ature's guidelines and should include an initial assessment and a follow‐up. In 1948, to reduce the predation pressure on P yrenean chamois R upicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica by golden eagles A quila chrysaetos , the alpine marmot M armota marmota was introduced to the P yrenees in W estern E urope. In successive introductions, about 500 marmots were released, but the fate of the released animals and their impacts on the environment remain largely unstudied. The aim of this study was to assess the success of the introduction of the alpine marmot into the P yrenees, 60 years after the initial release, and the potential impacts of this species on P yrenean ecosystems. We reviewed what is known about the marmot populations introduced to the P yrenees and other populations within their native range in the A lps, particularly in terms of population structure and dynamics, habitat use and potential environmental impacts. The alpine marmot is widely distributed and, apparently, well established in the P yrenees. Population structure and demographic parameters are similar within and outside the historical distribution range of the species, and habitat suitability is one of the main reasons for the species' success in the P yrenees. Few researchers have investigated the impacts of alpine marmots in the P yrenees; thus, those impacts have to be inferred from those observed in the species' native range or in other species of marmot. Introduced alpine marmots are likely to impact on P yrenean grasslands through grazing and burrowing, have the potential to alter P yrenean food webs and could act as vectors of parasites and disease. Although the introduction of the alpine marmot in the P yrenees appears to have been successful, more needs to be known about the effects of the established populations on the environment before informed management actions can be taken in the P yrenees.