Balancing ecotourism and wildlife management through a conservation behavior approach

Conservation Science and Practice, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 13, 2025

Abstract Ecotourism promises to reconcile wildlife conservation and human development if negative impacts of visitation associated infrastructure can be minimized. Animal behavior studies used identify individual population responses anthropogenic before other fitness consequences are documented. With input from professionals in animal ecotourism, we identified key questions needed better understand the impact ecotourism on wildlife. Activity budgets, foraging, movement, stress, habituation, reproduction were themes that emerged our survey. We highlight promising research these remaining behavioral about conserving context ecotourism. Although activities often have detrimental effects behavior, needs inform management ecotourist education improve more compatible with sustainable use nature.

Language: Английский

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Risky behavior of Asian black bears differs between sex and season in a landscape fragmented by roads

Journal of Zoology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 22, 2025

Abstract Understanding the trade‐off between resource acquisition and risk avoidance is crucial in behavioral ecology. Differences parental investment reproductive success males females can result intersexual variations risk‐taking. Roads, a major cause of habitat fragmentation, pose significant mortality risks to animals. We investigated sex seasonal differences road‐crossing behavior home ranges Asian black bears ( Ursus thibetanus ), as an example risk‐taking mammals fragmented landscape, Ashio‐Nikko Mountains, Japan, from 2005 2023. Using GPS relocation data, we analyzed frequency road crossings range sizes applied integrated step selection analysis assess relation sex, season, type, time day. Bears generally avoided crossing roads, indicating that roads act movement barriers. During mating crossed all types had larger ranges, whereas did not cross main minor roads. hyperphagia both sexes compared season. Our findings suggest sex‐ season‐specific relates mate food acquisition: take more search for mates during season females. gated most frequently, followed by with occurring often at night than day across types. These results perceive respond differently which are linked level human activity.

Language: Английский

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Are super-predators also super-scary? A systematic review and meta-analysis of animal responses to human interactions

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Aug. 28, 2024

Abstract Human induced rapid environmental change has been recognized as a global threat to natural systems and the organisms that inhabit them. hunters fishers interact with animals in spaces predators, are more effective capturing prey reducing populations than predators overall. On other hand, seemingly benign interactions humans, such tourism, may also be perceived threatening have negative impacts on animal populations. Here, we provide synthesis of current knowledge combined effects lethal non-lethal human behavioural responses spaces. We conducted systematic review meta-analysis literature published over past three decades, built dataset determine relative effect foraging, vigilance, movement behaviors wild animals. Lethal included hunting, fishing, retaliatory killing response conflict, were distinguished active (snorkeling, scuba diving, pedestrians, hiking, tourists) or passive (roads, settlements, sonar, boat traffic). considered how trophic level species body size could influence behavior. Our findings show had significant animals, causing actively hunted by humans increase reduce alter movements. Both weaker non-significant altering these behaviours Overall, our shows impact activities eliciting fear-driven changes does not seem broad empirical support. It suggests intensity “human super-predator” depend affected species, history human-animal landscape, In order understand nuances effects, studies across geographic regions needed.

Language: Английский

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Spatiotemporal patterns of small carnivores in a human-dominated forest landscape shared with apex predators

Landscape Ecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 39(12)

Published: Dec. 4, 2024

Language: Английский

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Flight initiation distance differs among eumelanin‐based color morphs in feral pigeons

Journal of Zoology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 8, 2024

Abstract Organisms facing anthropogenic activities usually exhibit phenotypic responses assumed to enhance coping with disturbance. These include a decreasing degree of reaction toward potentially risky situations (“behavioral tolerance”) increasing Though melanin is associated many traits, including pigmentation and behavior, the potential relationship between behavioral tolerance has never been explored. Such may result from either direct association behavior (e.g., genetic correlation) or indirectly through coloration‐dependent behavior‐modulating factor differential predation human preferences in cities color morphs). Feral pigeons ( Columba livia ) represent an ideal biological system test for these hypotheses, due their presence worldwide, considerable variation eumelanin‐based coloration, ranging white black plumage, close proximity humans. We measured Flight Initiation Distance (FID, classically used assessment) feral 4 different morphs sites differing urbanization rate pedestrian traffic within restricted scale city center (Paris). Urbanization had no effect on FID, maybe because small spatial considered. FID varied coloration: lower (104.6 cm; i.e., higher tolerance) than darker (232.3 cm Blue bar, 184.4 T‐pattern & Checker, 181.8 Spread exact underlying causes remain be identified, we propose possible mechanisms this that investigated future work.

Language: Английский

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Human recreation influences activity of a large carnivore in an urban landscape

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 110812 - 110812

Published: Nov. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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