Dog predation by jaguars in a tourist town on the Mexican Caribbean

Invasion of humans and dogs into the jaguars’ habitat opens the way for future negative events. Dog predation by jaguars has only been recorded anecdotally, despite the high risk of pathogen transmission and the potential conflict due to pet predation. In this study, we document jaguar attacks on dogs in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico, a tourist town in the Mexican Caribbean. In addition, we describe an initiative designed to prevent jaguar persecution by constructing night houses for dogs at the most recent attack sites. A total of 20 attacks were recorded in the last nine years, most of them fatal (60%) on medium-sized dogs (70%), at night (95%) and during the dry season (65%). Half of the attacks occurred in the north of Mahahual´s coastline and the other half in the south. Attacks in the south were concentrated between 0 to 10 km away from the village, while in the north they were dispersed over distances between 0 and > 30 km. Thirty-eight night houses were constructed covering almost 45 km of the 135 km of Mahahual’s coastline. Further research is required to understand the importance of dogs in the jaguar diet and the impact of dog predation on the health and disease ecology of jaguar populations.

Valoración del patrimonio biocultural en un área natural protegida, el caso de El Cuyo, Yucatán, México / Valuation of the biocultural heritage in a protected natural area, the case of El Cuyo, Yucatán, México

La presente investigación se realizó en la localidad pesquera/turística El Cuyo, en la Reserva de la Biósfera Ría Lagartos, Yucatán, que destaca por su gran biodiversidad. Se indagó con los habitantes sobre la importancia que atribuyen a su patrimonio natural y cultural, la postura sobre las energías renovables y la actitud hacia la transformación del territorio. El enfoque fue cualitativo, con entrevistas semiestructuradas y observación directa. Los resultados arrojaron que valoran ambos patrimonios, pero poseen poca información, en particular del cultural, a pesar de ubicarse sobre un asentamiento maya prehispánico con vestigios visibles. Hay escasa información sobre energías renovables y asocian sus ventajas únicamente con el aspecto económico. Muestran una postura a favor de un desarrollo turístico mesurado y de bajo impacto. Existe una tendencia a conservar el estilo de vida y las condiciones actuales de la localidad, tanto en jóvenes como en adultos. Estas características culturales podrían incidir positivamente en la conservación y manejo adecuado, tanto de los ecosistemas de la zona como de las estructuras arqueológicas, pero suponen poca disposición para la instalación de dispositivos de energías renovables susceptibles de modificar el paisaje.Abstract: The actual research was conducted in the fishing / tourist town of El Cuyo, in the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatán, which stands out for its great biodiversity. I inquired with the inhabitants about the importance attributed to their natural and cultural heritage, the position on renewable energies and the attitude towards the transformation of the territory. The approach was qualitative, with semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The results showed that they value both patrimonies, but they have little information, particularly cultural information, despite being located on a pre-Hispanic Mayan settlement with visible vestiges. There is limited information on renewable energies and they associate their advantages with the economic aspect. They show a position in favor of a measured and low impact tourism development. There is a tendency to conserve the lifestyle and current conditions of the locality, both in young people and in adults. These cultural characteristics could have a positive impact on the conservation and proper management of both, the ecosystems of the area and the archaeological structures, but they imply little disposition for the installation of renewable energy devices capable of modifying the landscape. Keywords: natural heritage; cultural heritage; tourism in protected natural areas; Ría Lagartos; renewable energies.Résumé : La présente recherche a été menée dans la ville touristique de pêche d’El Cuyo, dans la réserve de biosphère de Ría Lagartos, dans le Yucatán, qui se distingue par sa grande biodiversité. Les habitants ont été interrogés sur l’importance qu’ils attribuent à leur patrimoine naturel et culturel, leur position sur les énergies renouvelables et leur attitude visà-vis de la transformation du territoire. L’instrument d’enquête était l’entrevue semistructurée. Les résultats ont montré qu’ils valorisaient les deux patrimoines, mais ils disposaient de peu d’informations, notamment culturelles, même s’ils se trouvaient dans une colonie maya préhispanique aux vestiges visibles. Il existe peu d’informations sur les énergies renouvelables; et celles-ci associent leurs avantages uniquement à l’aspect économique. Ils montrent une position en faveur d’un développement touristique à impact modéré et faible en raison d’une tendance à conserver le mode de vie et les conditions actuelles de la localité. Ces caractéristiques culturelles pourraient avoir un effet positif sur la conservation et la gestion appropriée des écosystèmes de la région et des structures archéologiques, et impliquer une faible disposition pour l’installation de dispositifs d’énergie renouvelable susceptibles de modifier le paysage.Mots-clés : patrimoine naturel ; patrimoine culturel ; tourisme dans les espaces naturels protégés ; Ría Lagartos ; énergies renouvelables.

Towards Sustainable Heritage Tourism: A Space Syntax-Based Analysis Method to Improve Tourists’ Spatial Cognition in Chinese Historic Districts

Historical and cultural blocks in Chinese historic districts are important components of sustainable heritage tourism. In towns along the Grand Canal, historical and cultural blocks are generally integrated with modern commerce, forming a complex space characterized by multi-elements, multi-cultures, and multi-functions. The understanding of tourists’ spatial cognition thus becomes extremely important to support heritage conservation and encourage sustainable heritage tourism. This study proposes a space syntax-based methodology to help inform heritage consultants and urban designers in understanding the tourists’ spatial cognition of canal town cultural blocks, and thereby assists designers and managers in identifying where cognitive experiences can be improved. The proposed method is applied to Nanyang, which is a canal town currently in decline in Shandong Province, and is contrasted with the ancient town of Wuzhen in Zhejiang Province, China, a highly successful tourist town. By using this proposed method, the relationship between street networks and tourists’ spatial cognition has been explored. The results of the analysis were evaluated in order to inform a range of design concepts that could enhance the sustainable heritage tourism experience of these two towns.

Interrogating the Cultural Production of Mexico

As part of a deconstruction of national identity, Jennifer Jolly, in her Creating Pátzcuaro, Creating Mexico: Art, Tourism, and Nation Building under Lázaro Cárdenas, analyzes the tourist town of Pátzcuaro in the west-central Mexican state of Michoacán as a microcosm of cultural power in which tourism, art, history, and ethnicity were woven together under the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (1934–40).

Development of Alternative Tourism in Kosovo – Peja Region

In the concept of alternative tourism, the dynamic growth of cultural tourism can be explained by the fast growth of demand for trips to various cultural attractions and amenities. Alternative tourism is a form of tourism that is not well-known and promoted in our country, but which presents high economic development potential. Alternative tourism is based on the use of natural potentials and cultural heritage and encourages interaction with nature, people and community. Peja District is an important tourist destination in Kosovo especially in rural areas, which are popular and frequently visited by local visitors and tourists from the European Union. History, culture and tradition are the main sources of tourism development in Peja region. The position of extension, the protected environment, the fertile lands, etc. are the elements that identify the city of Peja as a tourist town, which is visited throughout the year by visitors from different countries. Such tourism will be just green, sensitive, progressive, harmonious, responsible, eco, community; all characteristics fall under the heading “alternative tourism”. The goal of the paper is to provide readers with knowledge about alternative tourism in Peja municipality.