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Ecological Consequences of Ecotourism for Wildlife Populations and Communities

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Ecotourism’s Promise and Peril

Abstract

Ecotourism is often considered highly compatible with conservation efforts because it generates revenue through the nonconsumptive use of wildlife (in contrast to, e.g., fishing and hunting), while helping to foster a conservation ethic among participants. However, it is becoming clear that human presence in natural areas is not without cost. Evidence suggests that human presence does not only cause disturbance to the behavior of animals in the short term but may well have population and ecological level consequences that affect survival, reproductive success, and the structure of ecological communities. Tourists can also impact populations of wild animals as a result of direct mortality (e.g., vehicle strike), by providing food to attract charismatic species that can alter the long-term distribution and social structure of populations, by degrading crucial habitats through infrastructure development and pollution, by introducing non-native species that displace native taxa, and by transmitting infectious diseases. Research on the impacts associated with ecotourism has grown rapidly during the past decade, which has greatly improved our knowledge of the complex relationships between disturbance and the potential ecological costs for different wildlife species. Understanding and mitigating these impacts is particularly important for conserving species that are rare, geographically isolated, and/or sensitive to disturbance while also enabling a sustainable ecotourism industry to thrive.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK

    Graeme Shannon

  2. Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Courtney L. Larson & Kevin R. Crooks

  3. Wildlife Conservation Society and Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Sarah E. Reed

  4. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Lisa M. Angeloni

Authors
  1. Graeme Shannon
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  2. Courtney L. Larson
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  3. Sarah E. Reed
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  4. Kevin R. Crooks
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  5. Lisa M. Angeloni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Graeme Shannon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and The Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Daniel T. Blumstein

  2. Ifremer, UMR MARBEC, Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation, Laboratory of Adaptation and Adaptability of Animals and Systems, Palavas-les-Flots, France

    Benjamin Geffroy

  3. Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Diogo S. M. Samia

  4. Graduate Program in Ecology, and Life and Earth Sciences Department, University of Brasília, Brasilia, Brazil

    Eduardo Bessa

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Shannon, G., Larson, C.L., Reed, S.E., Crooks, K.R., Angeloni, L.M. (2017). Ecological Consequences of Ecotourism for Wildlife Populations and Communities. In: Blumstein, D., Geffroy, B., Samia, D., Bessa, E. (eds) Ecotourism’s Promise and Peril. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58331-0_3

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