12/28/2023 0 Comments Traffic giant 2012![]() Some of the most impacted species were the jaguar ( Panthera onca), puma ( Puma concolor) and lowland tapir ( Tapirus terrestris), all three species with significant contribution to ecosystem balance. Ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis), margays ( Leopardus wiedii) and red-rumped agoutis ( Dasyprocta leporina) seemed to favor human disturbance probably because of predator release. Giant armadillos ( Priodontes maximus) and spotted pacas ( Cuniculus paca) used the pools in the road created by traffic. A few species seemed to be "attracted" by hikers and/or traffic. On the other hand, vehicles had little impact on species avoidance or diversity, but did increase nocturnality, even more than hikers. In these areas the impact was not reflected in species numbers, however it was causing a significant decrease in the diversity of mammals. Most species avoided areas with many hikers or switched to a more nocturnal activity pattern. Evidently, the impacts of human presence on the mammal communities were more significant in the busiest areas. The area has a clear gradient of tourism pressure, with the pressure decreasing further away from the lodging facilities. A four-year study on the impact of ecotourism on medium-large terrestrial mammals was carried out between 20 using 16 camera trap stations. Brownsberg Nature Park is easily the most visited protected area of Suriname, with a high number of ecotourists visiting from abroad. On the one hand ecotourism could impact the occurrence, survival or behavior of species, on the other hand ecotourism is often mentioned as providing a “human shield” by deterring negative practices like gold mining, logging and hunting. The impacts of ecotourism on biodiversity are poorly understood and the outcome of this type of research is often contradictory.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |