A Global Assessment of Tourism and Recreation Conservation Threats to Prioritise Interventions

Southern African protected areas (PAs) harbour a great diversity of animals, which represent a large potential for wildlife tourism. In this region, global change is expected to result in vegetation changes, such as bush encroachment and increases in vegetation density. However, little is known on the influence of vegetation structure on wildlife tourists’ wildlife viewing experience and satisfaction. In this study, we collected data on vegetation structure and perceived mammal densities along 196 road transects (each 5 km long) and conducted a social survey with 651 questionnaires across four PAs in three Southern African countries. Our objectives were 1) to assess visitors’ attitude towards vegetation, 2) to test the influence of perceived mammal density and vegetation structure on the easiness to spot animals, and 3) on visitors’ satisfaction during their visit to PAs. Using a Boosted Regression Tree procedure, we found mostly negative non-linear relationships between vegetation density and wildlife tourists’ experience, and positive relationships between perceived mammal densities and wildlife tourists’ experience. In particular, wildlife tourists disliked road transects with high estimates of vegetation density. Similarly, the easiness to spot animals dropped at thresholds of high vegetation density and at perceived mammal densities lower than 46 individuals per road transect. Finally, tourists’ satisfaction declined linearly with vegetation density and dropped at mammal densities smaller than 26 individuals per transect. Our results suggest that vegetation density has important impacts on tourists’ wildlife viewing experience and satisfaction. Hence, the management of PAs in savannah landscapes should consider how tourists perceive these landscapes and their mammal diversity in order to maintain and develop a sustainable wildlife tourism.

Purpose. Clarification of the relationship between the three title related concepts – wildlife tourism, ecotourism, and sustanaible tourism Method. A review of definitions related to the discussed concepts in literature was performed. Based on this, main groups of the criteria used by researchers were distinguished. It enabled determination of the optimization space, defined by three axis: (i) the axis of the level of respect for the environment, (ii) the axis of the naturalness of visited places, and (iii) the level of tourists' interest in nature. In such defined optimization space, areas corresponding with wildlife tourism, ecotourism and sustainable tourism were designated. Findings. It was found that the existing inconsistency in the definition of nature tourism and ecotourism in the literature results from the usage of the different criteria, which are not always congruent to each other.These criteria are, to a large extent, represent the axes of the defined optimization space. In the mentioned space, three-dimensional areas corresponding to the discussed concepts were identified. Due to the partial overlapping of those areas when defining the relationship between them, a disjunctive approach cannot be used . Some forms of nature tourism meet the criteria for ecotourism, whereas others do not. On the other hand, not all forms of tourism that meet the criteria for "eco-tourism" can be considered as "wildlife tourism". Research and conclusion limitation. The main constraints of the proposed concept are limitation to three criteria, as well as problems with quantitative estimation of the position on axes for particular tourist activity. Practical implications. The proposed approach to the classification of sustainable tourism, ecotourism and wildlife tourism may be useful in the process of preparing managementplans for the protected areas (e.g. Natura 2000 sites), because it reduces the risk of confusion with a different interpretation as to what the prefered form of tourism in this areas really means. Originality. The paper presents a new, original, method for the classification of forms of tourism related to the natural environment. Paper type: methodological/review.

Mismatches between supply and demand in wildlife tourism: Insights for assessing cultural ecosystem services

Local people's attitudes towards conservation and wildlife tourism around Sariska Tiger Reserve, India

The common opinion of many conservationists is that protected areas are likely to fail unless residents are somewhat involved in conservation efforts that led to the development of community conservation. This study contributes to providing insights into the local people's perceptions of wildlife conservation and tourism in Kainji Lake National Park Support Zone, Niger State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in the selection of 112 respondents. Primary data were obtained on respondents' characteristics and their perceptions of wildlife conservation and tourism through the use of a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results showed that the majority of the respondents were male (94.98%), married (81.99%) and had no formal education (72.13%). The mean age and household size were 43 years and 8 members respectively. The local people had slightly positive perceptions of wildlife conservation (3.4) and wildlife tourism (4.1). Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed that the local people’s perceptions of wildlife conservation significantly associates with their perceptions of wildlife tourism (r = 0.72; p < 0.05). Based on the results of the study, it was recommended that conservation organizations should foster positive local people perceptions and address potential causes of negative perceptions of wildlife conservation and tourism.

This study investigated the attitudes of the people living in three adjacent communities close to the Bomfobiri wildlife sanctuary in Ghana concerning the observation of the cultural, seasonal closures of hunting. The cognitive and motivational approaches to attitude theory in wildlife management guided, under the phenomenology method, the collection of qualitative data on the importance of the seasonal closure of hunting and its implementation challenges. This inquiry was deemed crucial to improving the disjointed relationship between park management and local communities that often make wildlife conservation and tourism difficult at the Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary. Forty-five key wildlife stakeholders, including park officers, traditional authorities, elderly residents, and bushmeat traders, were purposively selected with some interviewed personally and others engaged in focus group discussions. Despite a more significant number of stakeholders admitting the importance of the seasonal closure of hunting, some challenges impeded its implementation. These included the absence of alternative arrangements to support hunters during the period for the annual closure of hunting; lack of proper sensitisation and education on the hunting ban; absence of transparency in the equitable sharing of proceeds from wildlife tourism at the Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary among park officers (Government) and the traditional authorities; the booming bushmeat business and the fear of losing customers after the fallow period; and purported corruption on the part of park officers, threatening the observation of the seasonal closure of hunting. The study has offered proactive suggestions to the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission and mainly to park management at the Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary on how to address these challenges and improve wildlife management and sustainable wildlife tourism potentials in Ghana. Paramount among them is the tactful provision of alternative sources of livelihood and the establishment of enterprises in non-timber forest products as sources of income for hunters during the seasonal hunting ban.

Introduction: The research on biodiversity as regards natural products, deforestation, and wildlife tourism has witnessed a tremendous growth as several scholars from different jurisdictions have directed their attention toward this subject matter. This growth shows the importance to academia in addressing the critical issues of health of biodiversity conservation. Leptospirosis is a worldwide infectious and zoonotic disease. The incidence of this disease is high in temperate regions, the plant Annona senegalensis, also known as wild custard apple and wild soursop is a member of Annonaceae family. It is a fruit tree native to Senegal and found in semi-arid to sub humid regions of Gashaka Gumti National Park, with a long history of traditional use. Numerous ethnomedicinal uses have been attributed to different parts of A. senegalensis, as well as its use as food and food additives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the natural products, deforestation, and wildlife tourism a potential threat due to Leptospirosis outbreak in Gashaka Gumti National Park and investigate the effects of plant extract found in Gashaka gumti national park plant extract on pathogenic antileptospiral properties of Annona senegalensis against pathogenic Leptospira species (spp.) and to study its synergistic effects with commonly prescribed antibiotics. Materials and Methods: The tested Leptospira serovars were Australis, Bataviae, Canicola and Javanica. Solvent extract of hexane, dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were used. Broth dilution methods were used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and the synergistic effects between the Solvent extract and the tested antibiotics. The synergistic effects was evaluated by using the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index. Morphological changes of the treated Leptospira were observed under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Results: The ASH, ASD, ASC, ASEt, ASM and ASEtol were found to have antileptospiral properties against the tested Leptospira spp. The synergy result showed that only combination of ASM ASEt and ASEtol and penicillin G against serovar Australis has demonstrated synergistic effect with the FIC index of 0.38. Morphological study using SEM showed significant structural changes of the treated Leptospira spp. Conclusions: The result suggests that Annona senegalensis extracts could potentially be used as either a complimentary or an alternative therapeutic agent against pathogenic Leptospira spp which will help in the curtailing natural products, deforestation, and wildlife tourism threat due to Leptospirosis.

Purpose – Tourism often depends on natural resources as attractions in protected areas, among them rivers hold significant potential for developing sustainable active outdoor tourism. The purpose of this article is presenting state of the scientific field of sustainable tourism valorisation of protected river areas, aiming to identify research gaps and discover new research opportunities. Methodology – This paper provides a comprehensive research overview of the role of protected river areas in tourism by analysing 257 scientific articles sourced from the Scopus database using the keywords: tourism, carrying capacity, river, and protected. Findings – The study identified a lack of research on the tourism valorisation of protected river areas, highlighting spatial disparities in interests, insufficient focus on distinct river types, and the neglect of rivers as heterogeneous systems with varying tourism capacity. The findings especially emphasize the insufficient coverage of tourism valorisation of protected karst rivers. Contribution – To address the observed gaps, the paper proposes a research agenda, offering potential directions and framework for future studies. Among the emphasized methodological steps in the sustainable valorisation of protected river areas, the paper argues the concept of carrying capacity on rivers, which is neither sufficiently developed nor implemented, despite its significant potential for fostering sustainable tourism development.

Nature-based tourism constitutes a major segment of world tourism. Protected areas are considered a popular theme in the literature, which is characterised by a great heterogeneity in concepts, contents, and purposes. This study analyses many of the indicators of interest related to the research on the themes of protected areas and nature-based tourism. Consequently, we aim to offer a global and updated vision of the research produced regarding these themes over the last 30 years. With bibliometric tools (Bibliometrix and VOSviewer), 1033 scientific articles were analysed. The results indicate that the research in this area exponentially increased in the last decade. Using a co-occurrence network of keywords, five major themes in this study were identified: (1) ecotourism; (2) nature conservation, biodiversity, and sustainability; (3) national parks, recreation, and climate change; (4) sustainable management and development; and (5) with a lesser degree of representation, themes related to China and ecosystem services. A timespan analysis on this network enabled the identification of six trends in the research over the last years: (i) sustainable tourism; (ii) climate change; (iii) geotourism and rural tourism; (iv) ecosystem services and cultural ecosystem services; (v); visitor studies; and (vi) wildlife tourism. Nature-based tourism plays a significant and crucial role in sustainable development. Analysing research in protected areas and nature-based tourism provides insights into key themes and emerging trends, serving as a valuable resource for knowledge advancement.

Kenya' tourism industry is predominantly based on nature and founded on protected areas (PAs) model. However, climatic changes through unstable temperature as well as rainfall patterns have the potential to cause declines in wildlife populations in these PAs. Climate change poses exceptional social, cultural as well as environmental challenges. In Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), a combined number of factors including climate change, human population pressure on wildlife dispersal areas including human wildlife conflict has resulted in catastrophic declines in wildlife populations. The study investigated MMNR host community perceptions oaround climate change impacts of on natural resources and sustainability of tourism. This is because regional knowledge gaps exist in research on climate change impacts on tourism. Exploratory research design was adopted. This research used quantitative data and hence exploratory approach was considered suitable. Simple random sampling was adopted to sample 399 heads of households who filled the questionnaires. Using SPSS V.23, descriptive as well as inferential statistics was adopted to analyze quantitative data. The relationship between the variables was determined using linear regression. The study findings indicate a positive as well as significant relationship on the two variables of natural resources and tourism sustainability as evidenced by the values (b=0.393 and p=0.000). Also, the coefficient of determination (R squared) shows 39.5% variation in sustainability of tourism can be attributed to climate change as indicated in Table 3. The study findings raises the need for strategic initiatives and considerations for developing alternative wildlife based tourism products in the advent of declines in wildlife populations as a result of erratic rainfall and temperature patterns.

1. Introduction 2. The Case of Inkaterra: Pioneering Ecotourism in Peru 3. Integrated Circuits as a Tool for the Development of Sustainable Tourism in the Amazon 4. Bringing Sustainability to the Brazilian Hotel Industry 5. Preferences Regarding Restoration and Development at Copan Archeological Park 6. Mamiraua: Community Based Ecotourism in a Sustainable Development Reserve in the Amazon Basin 7. Ecuador: Huaorani Ecolodge 8. Tourism in the Peruvian Amazon: Experiences of a Private-Communal Partnership 9. Key issues and challenges to the development of Community-based Ecotourism in Guatemala 10. Tourism cluster among livestock: the Case of Bonito (MS), Brazil 11. Diversified Nature Tourism on St. Vincent 12. Can Ecotourism Support Coral Reef Conservation? Experiences of Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd in Zanzibar / Tanzania 13. Blossoms & Butterflies, Waterfalls and Dragonflies: Integrating Insects in the Hospitality and Tourism Industries through Swarm Supposition 14. Sustainable Tourism Development in the Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya: Stakeholder Perspectives 15. Ecotourism in Vulnerable Regions: Opportunities and Obstacles to Development - The Case of Cantanhez, Guine-Bissau 16. Minimission-Tourism in Ethiopia: A New Subspecies of Sustainable Volunteer Tourism? 17. Botswana: The Selinda Reserve 18. Sustainable Development of a Remote Tourist Destination: The Case of Soomaa National Park, Estonia 19. Challenges in Rural Ethnic Tourism Development: A Case Study from Yunnan, China 20. Hotel Management Education in Bhutan: Teaching Sustainable Principles 21. Investigating Potential Benefits of Proposed Eco-retrofits to an Existing Tourist Lodge in the Sundarbans, India 22. Urban Green Parks: Sustainable Tourism, Biodiversity and Quality Of Life: A Case Study 23. Philippine Sustainable Tourism Initiatives: Issues and Challenges 24. Turtle Night Watch Nature Tourism: Sharing Benefits to Sustain Local Community and Sea Turtles in Rekawa Sanctuary, Sri Lanka 25. Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam: Where Luxury Meets Sustainable Tourism 26. Tourist Destinations with Planned Interventions: The Success of Kumily in Kerala, India 27. The Development and Promotion Guidelines of Organic Farms for Sustainable Tourism

The exponential growth of tourism has brought new challenges to the sector, to which the segment of nature tourism is no different. As a result, responsible tourism, along with sustainable tourism, has become a beacon for the tourism industry as a tool for sustainable development. There are several challenges inherent in the practical application of the principles of responsible tourism at an operational level. These include the very environment in which nature tourism takes place, and the diverse, often conflicting, interests held by a broad range of stakeholders in a context where demand forces a paradigm shift by the tourism industry. Contributing to the sustainable development of Northern Portugal through the stimulation of nature tourism under these conditions is a great challenge, as well as the implementation of responsible tourism practices within the tourism industry. Based on eight semi-structured interviews, this study seeks the analysis of nature tourism in Northern Portugal, focused on the activity of tourism leisure-related companies, as well as the analysis of responsible tourism in the region, to verify its potential as a driving force for sustainable development. The study shows that Nature tourism in protected areas in Northern Portugal is not yet widely developed in the context of leisure-related tourism companies. The lack of specialization, deficient regulation, and supervision, and competition from non-profit and public entities are some aspects that condition the development of nature tourism in the region.

High incidence of plastic debris in Andean condors from remote areas: Evidence for marine-terrestrial trophic transfer

An online survey of the American public (n = 500) was used to explore perceptions of the effects of tourism on wildlife and definitions of key tourism terms. Results show that the public’s assessment of the impacts of tourism are relatively nuanced and reflective of trade-offs discussed in the literature, and that there is broad recognition of the potential for wildlife to experience both harms and benefits resulting from tourism. We also collected data about how the American public defines key terms associated with wildlife tourism, including ecotourism, sustainable tourism, and nature tourism. Findings indicate that definitions of these terms are not well understood by the public, and that the specific criteria which typically define ecotourism in the academic literature are not widely known or recognized. This suggests there may be inherent limitations to the use of ecotourism terminology in driving responsible consumer behavior and positive conservation outcomes.

This paper embraces four windows of research and development which lead to sustainable development wildlife conservation and tourism industry. The windows are first, public [known] what is known to others through literature review (sceneries) and wildlife conservation what others have done on that research; second [confidential [not known] to others and people visit the scenery to know more about it. What the research wants to study or investigate and give the results; third, private [known to others], what other people know and the research wants to receive through respondents and make others know and fourth, blind [unknown] to all and the research want know when analysed and results concluded and recommended. The problem is policies in wildlife conservation and tourism are framed and dominated by western environmental values and scientific philosophies and indigenous people provide significant information which tourist use in research without acknowledging. The objective of the study is to embrace the culture of research and development in Kenya for the conservation of wildlife and sustainable tourism through indigenous research and innovation. The paper is theoretical, uses analytical method and document analysis. The key results are wildlife conservation and tourism programmes are attuned to rural resource strategies and environmental values only without academic values. It is concluded research should be transformed from basic research to applied research and action research, for local communities’ participation in wildlife and tourism development. It is recommended research would be significant for three purposes as to add knowledge, to correct the errors of the previous researches and to encourage and enhance others to improve on the same field of study, and encourage local participation in the design, implementation and management of tourism projects.