2025/02/13 by Rachel Y. Chock, Eduardo Bessa, Josue David Arteaga‐Torres +20 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Avian ecology and behavior #Marine animal studies overview #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/csp2.13306
openalex publication_date 2025/02/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Abstract Ecotourism promises to reconcile wildlife conservation and human development if negative impacts of human visitation and associated infrastructure can be minimized. Animal behavior studies can be used to identify individual and population responses to anthropogenic impacts before other fitness consequences are documented. With input from professionals in animal behavior and ecotourism, we identified key questions needed to better understand the impact of ecotourism on wildlife. Activity budgets, foraging, movement, stress, habituation, and reproduction were themes that emerged from our survey. We highlight promising research on these themes and identify remaining behavioral research questions about conserving wildlife in the context of ecotourism. Although ecotourism activities often have detrimental effects on animal behavior, we highlight research needs that can inform management and ecotourist education to improve human behavior to be more compatible with sustainable use of nature.