Road as a major driver for potential distribution of the invasive giant African land snail in Nepal

Biodiversity loss is increasing globally due to many anthropogenic factors including invasive species. Among the invasive species, the giant African land snail which is World’s worst invasive species is threatening the native species and become major pest for economy loss. Although the impact of snail is widespread in Nepal, we have little knowledge on their distribution and spreading factors. Using species distribution modeling, we found more than 50% of their potential area at Tarai region followed by Siwalik (29%) and 20% in mid-hill regions. The findings indicated that the species has potential for spreading to the high-mountain areas due to road and transportation. Inspite of past history of the species occurrences, the current distribution expanded across the entire country in the low lands and mountain regions. Therefore, we recommend government to prevent the potential spreading of the giant African land snail in Nepal by developing and devising policy measures to control the species in and around the roadsides. In addition, we suggest the government for proper cleaning of vehicles and transporting materials before transportation or area specific quarantine through public awareness.