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Review of European hare invasion ecology

The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is well established in mid-­Ulster and west Tyrone. Recently, it was demonstrated, for the first time, that both introduced Eruopean and native Irish hares hybridise bidirectionally suggesting that the genetic integrity of the Irish hare may be already compromised in the region.

Interspecific competition, hybridisation and subsequent introgression with European hares has resulted in the local extinction of the native mountain hare across much of the southern half of Sweden. Northern Ireland has international obligations to address invasive species issues, principally the Convention on Biological Diversity, Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.

As such, it is imperative that any threat to the native Irish hare from introduced European hares is evaluated and recommendations made for possible future population intervention.

This short review aims to assess the risk that introduced European hares pose to native Irish hares in Northern Ireland. Existing published literature will be reviewed in the context of the situation developing in Northern Ireland with key recommendations made for future possible action. The report will be peer-reviewed, endorsed and forwarded by a panel of international experts. The main objective is to facilitate government decision making regarding future population intervention.

This project is a Natural Heritage Research Parthership (NHRP) project and funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).