How Nature-Based Tourism Might Increase Prey Vulnerability to Predators
Abstract
Tourism can be deleterious for wildlife because it triggers behavioral changes in individuals with cascading effects on populations and communities. Among these behavioral changes, animals around humans often reduce their fearfulness and antipredator responses towards humans. A straightforward prediction is that habituation to humans associated with tourism would negatively influence reaction to predators. This could happen indirectly, where human presence decreases the number of natural predators and thus prey become less wary, or directly, where human-habituated individuals become bolder and thus more vulnerable to predation. Building on ideas from the study of traits associated with domestication and urbanization, we develop a framework to understand how behavioral changes associated with nature-based tourism can impact individual fitness, and thus the demographic trajectory of a population.
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The level of fear varies between species according to evolutionary history factors such as whether they are a prey species or a predator or possess traits such as boldness or shyness.
“It is the level of fear that will vary between species according to certain evolutionary history factors, such as whether they are a prey species or a predator or possess traits such as boldness or shyness [29,30].”
From The visitor effect on zoo animals: implications and opportunities for zoo animal welfare (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
Researchers have suggested that all species have some natural fear of humans and are likely to perceive them as potential predators, at least in their first interaction.
“Focusing on fear of humans as a key determinant of the direction of the HAR, researchers have suggested that all species have some natural fear of humans and are likely to perceive them as potential predators, at least in their first interaction [29].”
From The visitor effect on zoo animals: implications and opportunities for zoo animal welfare (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
Individuals of some species that have benign interactions with humans in the wild undergo habituation that can lead to a degree of human-tolerance.
“It has been well documented that individuals of some species that have benign interactions with humans in the wild undergo habituation that can lead to a degree of human-tolerance [29].”
From The visitor effect on zoo animals: implications and opportunities for zoo animal welfare (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
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The visitor effect on zoo animals: implications and opportunities for zoo animal welfare
Sherwen, S. L., & Hemsworth, P. H. (2019) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani9060366 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
“It is the level of fear that will vary between species according to certain evolutionary history factors, such as whether they are a prey species or a predator or possess traits such as boldness or shyness [29,30].”
BackgroundTowards an understanding of the evolutionary role of fire in animals
Pausas, J. G., & Parr, C. L. (2018) · Evolutionary Ecology · doi:10.1007/s10682-018-9927-6 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
- Authors
- Geffroy, B., Samia, D. S. M., Bessa, E., & Blumstein, D. T.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Goiás (BR)
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Blumstein, Daniel T.
- Venue
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-12
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 755-765
- ISSN
- 0169-5347 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2170050349
- Cited by
- 332
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
- Keywords
- nature-based tourism, human-wildlife interactions, predator-prey interactions, habituation, antipredator behavior, boldness, domestication traits, urbanization, individual fitness, population dynamics
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Behavior, Animal, Habituation, Psychophysiologic, Human Activities, Predatory Behavior
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