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The effect of land use change and ecotourism on biodiversity: a case study of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, from 1985 to 2008

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Abstract

Development in biodiversity rich areas is of global concern. While development may lead to socioeconomic benefits, this often comes concomitant with biodiversity loss and deforestation. Biodiversity rich areas present the opportunity for both improvements in socioeconomic conditions and conservation; however numerous challenges exist. Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park presents an ideal case study to investigate the balance between alternative forms of development which have contrasting environmental impacts. The Manuel Antonio region is a highly dynamic landscape experiencing deforestation, from agriculture, cattle ranching and oil palm plantations; and also reforestation from abandonment of land holdings and nature oriented tourism. Landscape dynamics are closely intertwined with the livelihoods and perspectives on biodiversity conservation of local communities, determining ecological sustainability. We use an analysis combining multi-temporal remote sensing of land cover dynamics from 1985 to 2008 with questionnaire data from local families on their socioeconomic status, perspectives on conservation, and perceived changes in local wildlife populations. Our results show that, while regeneration occurred and forest fragmentation in the area decreased from 1985 to 2008, Manuel Antonio National Park is rapidly becoming isolated. Decreasing ecological connectivity is related to the rapid expansion of oil palm plantations adjacent to the park and throughout the lowland areas. Perceived decreases in wildlife abundance and compositional change are evident throughout the area, with local communities attributing this primarily to illegal hunting activities. Nature based tourism in the area presents an effective strategy for conservation, including reductions in hunting, through increased valuation of biodiversity and protected areas, and socioeconomic advantages. However, without urgent efforts to limit deforestation and preserve the remaining forested corridor connecting the park to core primary forest, the ability to maintain biodiversity in the park will be reduced.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the many households in the Manuel Antonio area communities who invited us into their lives. We thank the Sí Cómo No and El Parador hotels for allowing us to conduct our investigation on their premises and allowing us time with their workers during their busy schedules. We thank the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University for providing the majority of field work funding support. We thank the Departments of Biology and Anthropology at Stanford University who provided E. Broadbent and A. Almeyda Zambrano with the time to conduct this field work and a Department of Energy (DOE GCEP) fellowship to ENB for financial support. We thank E. Vargas for help with logistics in Costa Rica. We thank M. Honey for ongoing support and insights to this research. We thank the W. Clark, N. Dickson and M. Holbrook for help during the writing process. This work was partially conducted while the E. Broadbent was a doctoral fellow and A. Almeyda Zambrano was a Giorgio Ruffolo Fellow in the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University. Support from Italy’s Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea is gratefully acknowledged. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their many excellent comments throughout the revision process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Eben N. Broadbent & Angélica M. Almeyda Zambrano

  2. Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Eben N. Broadbent & Rodolfo Dirzo

  3. Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Angélica M. Almeyda Zambrano, William H. Durham, Laura Driscoll, Patrick Gallagher & Shannon G. Randolph

  4. Center for Responsible Travel, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    William H. Durham, Laura Driscoll, Rosalyn Salters & Jared Schultz

  5. Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA

    Jared Schultz

  6. Universidad de Turismo de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

    Angélica Colmenares

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Broadbent, E.N., Zambrano, A.M.A., Dirzo, R. et al. The effect of land use change and ecotourism on biodiversity: a case study of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, from 1985 to 2008. Landscape Ecol 27, 731–744 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9722-7

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