``Variable Effects of Tourist Presence on the Activity Budget of Alouatta pigra''
Por:
Rodriguez-Pena, Olga Nelly, Oropeza Sánchez M.T., Gonzalez-Di Pierro, Ana Maria
Publicada:
1 jul 2023
Resumen:
Background and ResearchWildlife tourism has been considered a useful
tool for conservation in some contexts and found to cause diverse
effects on biodiversity. We investigated the effect of the number of
tourists on wild black howler monkeys' (Alouatta pigra) behavior at the
Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (MABR), in the Lacandona forest in
Mexico.MethodsWe used 5-min focal animal sampling, during dry and rainy
seasons. We recorded five common behaviors in three wild groups
naturally exposed to different degrees of human disturbance (Station,
River and Board) without tourists, 5 and 10 tourists.ResultsFive and 10
tourists increased locomoting and reduced socializing, however,
differently affected activities' allocation time in the monkeys' groups:
in Board, 10 tourists reduced monkeys feeding; ii) in River, 10 tourists
reduced socializing; and iii) in Station, 5 tourists increased feeding
and reduced socializing, and 10 tourists reduced
socializing.ConclusionsWatching tourism activities affect behavior
differently in groups of Alouatta pigra in the Montes Azules Biosphere
Reserve in in the Mexican state of Chiapas, emphasizing the importance
of regulating tourism programs for the conservation of endangered
species.Implications for ConservationAlthough longer-term studies
controlling for additional variables are needed to provide a more
comprehensive understanding of the impact of tourism on wild howler
populations, the results from this study remain valuable as a baseline
for understanding such effects and for proposing initial strategies to
reduce tourism-induced disturbance.
Filiaciones:
Rodriguez-Pena, Olga Nelly:
Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UBIPRO, Laboratorio de Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Estado de México, Mexico
Oropeza Sánchez M.T.:
Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, Mexico
Gonzalez-Di Pierro, Ana Maria:
CONACYT - Instituto de Investigaciones sobre los Recursos Naturales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Michoacán, Mexico
gold, All Open Access; Gold
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