Abstract
AbstractCaves and other subterranean habitats are crucial for the survival of many bat species, but often deteriorate as a result of visits by tourists. The aim of the study was to understand the conservation challenges associated with the cave dwelling bats at Gupteswar cave tourism and pilgrimage site in eastern India and to develop conservation recommendations. I counted bat populations and monitored tourist visits once per month for 12 months during September 2016–August 2017. Roosting and breeding activities of eight species of bats, including two nationally threatened species, were recorded from five caves. The number of bats counted during the 12 survey days was 785–940 individuals. Tourism activity occurred throughout the year but was higher during local festive seasons; the maximum number of tourist entries recorded in a single day was 2,769. Installation of gated entrances, scheduling of visits to control overcrowding, restriction of access to caves with maternity colonies during breeding seasons, and minimal use of electric bulbs for illumination would minimize disturbance to the bats. Installation of educational display boards would help to create awareness of the conservation importance of bats amongst the cave visitors.
Highlights
Nature-based tourism expresses the relationship between nature and society, and the sustainability of such tourism is largely dependent upon ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulation and cultural services (Pueyo-Ros, )
The number of bats counted on each survey day and in each cave are provided in Supplementary Table
Cave tourism is becoming increasingly popular as people are motivated to visit caves for their inherent natural landscape features (Okonkwo et al, )
Summary
Nature-based tourism expresses the relationship between nature and society, and the sustainability of such tourism is largely dependent upon ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulation and cultural services (Pueyo-Ros, ).
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