Trail runners as agents of alien plant introduction into protected areas
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213078020300396?dgcid=author
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2020.100315
- Two important cultural ecosystem services provided by protected areas are tourism and recreation.
- Globally, biological invasions are recognized as the second-largest threat to biodiversity conservation.
- We cleaned the shoes of 682 trail runners and ran a germination trial to assess the potential for trail runners to introduce alien invasive plant seeds into protected areas.
- We identified 33 species (152 plants) from 9 families; 45% of species and 82% of plants do not occur naturally in the area the event was held.
- Our findings confirmed that trail runners can act as vectors for seed dispersal.
- Biosecurity measures need to be implemented by protected areas in collaboration with event organisers.
