An evaluation of monk parakeet damage to crops in the metropolitan area of Barcelona

An evaluation of monk parakeet damage to crops in the metropolitan area of Barcelona.— We evaluated damage to commercial crops caused by the monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, in the Baix Llobregat agricultural area (1,024 ha) bordering the city of Barcelona, Spain. Average crop loss was 0.4% for t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Senar, Juan Carlos, Domènech, Jordi, Arroyo, L.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/133021
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/133021
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Monk parakeet
Myiopsitta monachus
Damage to crops
Invasive species
Descripción
Sumario:An evaluation of monk parakeet damage to crops in the metropolitan area of Barcelona.— We evaluated damage to commercial crops caused by the monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, in the Baix Llobregat agricultural area (1,024 ha) bordering the city of Barcelona, Spain. Average crop loss was 0.4% for tomatoes, 28% for corn, 9% for red plums, 36% for round plums, 37% for pears, 17% for persimmons, and 7% for quinces. Our data show that the potential damage to crops by monk parakeets in this invaded area is now a reality. As a wait–and–see approach is likely to be a more costly strategy in the long–term, policy makers should assess issues such as the extent of damage, feasibility/cost benefit analysis, and public opinion so as to avoid greater damage and loss in the future