Resumen:
Protected areas (PAs) are important tools for biodiversity conservation. In developing
countries, incomplete information about the presence of non-native species makes it
difficult to develop strategies to manage this threat to biodiversity. Although a list of
non-native species for continental Ecuador has recently been published, information on
the status of these species in PAs in terms of invasiveness and impacts is scarce. This
study presents a method that proposes criteria to prioritize the management of non-native
phanerogam plants and terrestrial vertebrate species in eight PAs in the coastal region
of Ecuador, based on the minimal information available. The study area covers 79.6%
of all coastal PAs. For the non-native species inventory, we collated information from
global biodiversity databases, research papers, theses and project repositories from local
private and public universities, public institutions, and management plans for the selected
PAs. To categorize the monitoring priority of the non-native species from the selected
PAs, we used a pipeline scheme based on species invasion risk principles. We
registered 78 non-native species within the eight PAs, consisting of 64 phanerogam
plants and 14 terrestrial vertebrates. The PA with the highest non-native plant species
richness is Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve (ER) with 25 species (39.1%; n =
64). For terrestrial vertebrates, the highest non-native species richness was in Isla
Santay National Recreation Area (NRA) (71.4%; n = 14). 15.6% of the phanerogam
plants and 78.5% of the terrestrial vertebrates were classified in the high priority
category. The majority of non-native plants are categorized as “more studies required”,
reflecting the state of art of invasion ecology in this country. This method allowed
us to classify the species based on theoretical and occurrence data. It can potentially
be replicated throughout the country and used as a rapid assessment method,
complemented with specific invasion/impact studies on PAs in Ecuador
