SPRINGER, 2017This is a book that desires to improve the positive impacts of ecotourism and nature-based tourism by properly identifying potential biological impacts so as to help develop effective mitigations and management. We focus mostly on impacts on wildlife. We, the editors, are avid eco- and nature-based tourists. We travel to natural areas to appreciate their wonder. We watch animals, botanize, and enjoy beautiful natural landscapes. We also recreate (bike, hike, climb, surf, ski, snorkel, and dive) in natural areas around the world. Professionally, we are behavioral biologists who study the natural behavior of animals to reveal general trends and understand behavioral diversity. We study animals in the wilderness and in areas with eco- and nature- based tourists. We recreate in the places that we work and we care deeply about managing negative consequences of recreation in these and other places. We also appreciate the value of natural areas in urban places and study the effects of urbanization on wildlife in our ever-urbanizing world.
Nature-based tourism is huge. Globally, a recent study suggested that there are over eight billion visitors per year to terrestrial natural areas. Stated bluntly: more people visit natural areas than there are people on Earth! Alarmingly, this estimate does not include small reserves so the real extent of people interacting with wildlife and recreating in natural areas is even larger. Such high visitor numbers cannot occur without creating ecological impacts. Thus, given the tremendous potential impact of human visitation on natural areas, what can be done to reduce or manage impacts while enjoying the potential economic and conservation benefits of eco- and nature-based tourism?
There has been much written on managing wildlife-, eco-, and nature-based tourism, and we refer all to the outstanding volume, Natural ...
