Rabbits are invasive to the Canary Islands, where they were introduced 500 years ago, during the conquest, from mainland Spain. Nowadays, they occupy all islands, almost all islets, and all the habitats of the archipelago. Rabbit negative impacts are manifested at different ecological levels, from affecting species population, to disrupt native networks of interactions, or to even cause the complete alteration of the structure of the ecosystem. Current ongoing researches in various ecosystems are very concluding: we are far from knowing how would be the natural looking of the ecosystems of the islands, and today we only see what is left after 500 years of herbivorous pressure. It is urgent to raise awareness of this serious problem to subsequently implement appropriate conservation measures to control and minimize the effects that rabbits are provoking to the incomparable and unique ecosystems of the Canary Islands.

Peer reviewed