Evaluation of the Impact on Fauna Caused by the Presence of Ecotourists on Trails of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, Amazonas, Brazil

Abstract

Ecotourism has been defended as a viable option for the maintenance of protected areas in the Amazon. The present study was carried out in a community-based ecotourism project. The project had been implemented eight years ago in a protected area in Brazil. The main objective of the present study was to monitor the environmental impacts of ecotourism on the fauna of Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, in order to implement measures that aim to minimize those impacts. Eight animal species were monitored. Five primates: Cacajao calvus (white bold uakari), Saimiri vanzolinii (black-faced squirrel monkey), Saimiri sciureus (common squirrel monkey), Alouatta seniculus (red howler monkey), Cebus macrocephalus (brown capuchin monkey); and three birds: Monasa nigrifrons (black-fronted nunbird), Crax globulosa (wattled curassow) and Mitu tuberosum (great curassow) from 2002 to 2005. These animals were chosen for their biological importance for the area and because, as we were informed by local guides, they are common on Mamirauá trails. For the primates, the white bold uakari and black-faced squirrel monkey are considered endangered and vulnerable, respectively. For the birds, the wattled curassow is considered vulnerable (Base de Dados Tropical, 2006). Results found in the present study suggest there was no statistically significant difference between the observations of animals on trails with and without tourists for most of the species studied. Only one primate species (black-faced squirrel monkey) and one bird species (black-fronted nunbird) presented statistically significant differences in analyses with and without tourists (t-test: t = −2.27; p = 0.0267 and Mann-Whitney U = 207.5; p = 0.0025, respectively).