Determinants of Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Sightings in Denali National Park

Wildlife viewing within protected areas is an increasingly popular recreational activity. Management agencies are often tasked with providing these opportunities, yet quantitative analyses of factors influencing wildlife sightings are lacking. We analyzed locations of GPS-collared wolves and wolf sightings from 2945 trips in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA, to provide a mechanistic understanding of how viewing opportunities are influenced by attributes of wolves and physical, biological, and harvest characteristics. We found that the presence of masking vegetation, den site proximity to the road, pack size, and presence of a wolf harvest closure adjacent to the park affected wolf sightings, and the influence of den proximity on sightings depended on harvest management. Wolf sightings increased with den site proximity to the road in years with a harvest closure adjacent to the park but not in the absence of the closure. The effect of the harvest closure on sightings was similar in magnitude to an increase in pack size by two wolves or a more than a two-fold decrease in masking vegetation. These findings were consistent across a 10-fold change in spatial resolution. Quantitative analysis of the factors influencing wildlife sightings provides valuable insight for agencies tasked with managing viewing opportunities.

UNDERSTANDING VISITOR PREFERENCES IN OLD OYO NATIONAL PARK, NIGERIA

This study sheds light on visitors’ preferences in Old Oyo National Park (Nigeria) and how these preferences contributed to their travel experience. A total of 120 visitors were reached via convenience sampling employing questionnaire administration. Their preferences were measured with the aid of a Likert scale and choice cards. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and conditional logit specification for inferential statistics. The results revealed that entrance fees, availability of affordable chalet accommodation, wildlife viewing opportunities and visits to the relics of the old city wall of Oyo Ile were the significant site predictors of choosing the park as a preferred tourist destination. Easy access within the park and good staff courtesies also had high means of 4.21 and 4.16 respectively, demonstrating site features and hospitality services rendered lends credence to visitor decision on destination choice. The park management needs to continually research on attractions and make efforts at improving such to entice repeat visits. Keywords: Old Oyo National Park, Hospitality Services, Visitor Preferences, Site Features, Experiences

The motives of South African farmers for offering agri-tourism

Agri-tourism, which involves tourists visiting working farms for entertainment and learning, has become more popular over the years. This paper focuses on the supply side of agri-tourism and investigates the motives that South African farmers have for offering agri-tourism activities and attractions on their farm. Based on a study with 557 respondents from all nine provinces of South Africa, 148 respondents indicated that they were currently offering some form of agri-tourism. The results identified the most popular agri-tourism activities and attractions as farm stay/accommodation, hunting, hiking/nature trails, and wildlife viewing and photography. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, which identified two factors, namely, preservation of culture and heritage and economic advantages. Based on the mean values, economic advantages were the main reason why farmers decided to offer agri-tourism activities and attractions.

Social media reveals consistently disproportionate tourism pressure on a threatened marine vertebrate

Establishing how wildlife viewing pressure is distributed across individual animals within a population can inform the management of this activity, and ensure targeted individuals or groups are sufficiently protected. Here, we used social media data to quantify whether tourism pressure varies in a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) population and elucidate potential implications. Laganas Bay (Zakynthos, Greece) supports both breeding (migratory, and hence transient) and foraging (resident) turtles, with turtle viewing representing a major component of the tourism industry. Social media entries spanning two seasons (April to November, 2018 and 2019) were evaluated, and turtles were identified via photo-identification. For both years, 1684 and 2105 entries of 139 and 122 unique turtles were obtained from viewings, respectively (boats and underwater combined). However, while residents represented less than one-third of uniquely identified turtles, they represented 81.9% and 87.9% of all entries. Even when the seasonal breeding population was present (May to July), residents represented more than 60% entries. Of note, the same small number of resident turtles (<10), mostly males, were consistently viewed in both years; however, different individuals were targeted by boats versus underwater. Thus, turtles appear to use and remain in the area despite high viewing intensity, possibly indicating low disturbance. However, photo-identification records revealed a high risk of propeller and boat strike to residents (30%) leading to trauma and mortality. To reduce this threat and ease viewing pressure, we recommend the compulsory use of propeller guards for all boats and the creation of temporary “refuge” zones for resident animals at viewing hotspots, with these suggestions likely being relevant for other wildlife with similar population dynamics. In conclusion, social media represents a useful tool for monitoring individuals at a population scale, evaluating the pressure under which they are placed, and providing sufficient data to refine wildlife viewing guidelines and/or zoning.

Tourism and little penguins: a comparative study of survival and reproductive parameters

ContextTourism operations that provide the opportunity for wildlife viewing can support conservation management through public education, habitat protection, population management, research activities and revenue generation. However, alongside these potential benefits there can be negative effects on the species that include the possibility of reduced breeding success, survival and, subsequently, population growth. AimWe sought to establish whether a tourism operation affected little penguins Eudyptula minor by comparing reproductive and survival parameters of two managed populations in Oamaru, New Zealand. One population was the focus of a tourism operation, whereas the other (located nearby) did not provide any public access. The tourism operation implemented strategies to reduce human disturbance, including the reduction of noise, light and movement from visitors during viewing, and by ensuring that visitors were restricted to designated viewing areas. MethodsNesting boxes were installed at both colonies that facilitated weekly monitoring of the populations. The monitoring program (1993–2017) included weekly checks of every nesting box in the colony for the presence of eggs, chicks and adults. Chicks were weighed before fledging, and both fledglings and breeding adults were individually marked. Key resultsLay dates, breeding success, chick fledge mass and survival rates were not measurably different between the two populations, indicating that there was little evidence of negative effects on the penguins at the tourist site. ConclusionsThe slight differences observed between the colonies during the time series were attributed to environmental damage sustained at the non-tourist site and a difference in the proportion of un-monitored nest sites available to the penguins when the study was initiated. ImplicationsNotwithstanding the present findings, long-term and consistent monitoring of wildlife populations facing increasing pressure from tourism is essential to ensure effects are detected and that management procedures implemented to reduce potential effects.

Conclusion

The ecosystem services model plays a critical role in explaining how natural resources can be turned into wild or natural capital. The logic of economics relies on weighing the measurable values of competing choices when making decisions. Through that process, if we value the functions and products of ecosystems that benefit humans or yield welfare to society, we become better stewards of the natural world. For this book’s purposes, ecotourism as a cultural service clearly demonstrates how consumers of outdoor recreation see value in activities like wildlife viewing or hiking in nature. For wild nature to persist, however, it must be part of a larger system that is bound not only by biological ties, but by economic and cultural incentives as well. Since the boundaries that determine human and wild nature’s space are rather fluid and rarely entirely isolated from the other, using ecotourism to help assign nature value is logical. By offering individuals the opportunity to see nature through a variety of lenses, nature can be protected and preserved in different degrees. If nature and wildlife remain outside our human experience, however, inspiring the love and concern necessary for its survival becomes more and more difficult.

Nature Conservation and Nature-Based Tourism: A Paradox?

Throughout the world, areas have been reserved for their exceptional environmental values, such as high biodiversity. Financial, political and community support for these protected areas is often dependent on visitation by nature-based tourists. This visitation inevitably creates environmental impacts, such as the construction and maintenance of roads, tracks and trails; trampling of vegetation and erosion of soils; and propagation of disturbance of resilient species, such as weeds. This creates tension between the conservation of environmental values and visitation. This review examines some of the main features of environmental impacts by nature-based tourists through a discussion of observational and manipulative studies. It explores the disturbance context and unravels the management implications of detecting impacts and understanding their causes. Regulation of access to visitor areas is a typical management response, qualified by the mode of access (e.g., vehicular, ambulatory). Managing access and associated impacts are reviewed in relation to roads, tracks and trails; wildlife viewing; and accommodations. Responses to visitor impacts, such as environmental education and sustainable tour experiences are explored. The review concludes with ten recommendations for further research in order to better resolve the tension between nature conservation and nature-based tourism.