COVID ‐19: An unplanned experiment to assess the effect of tourism on ungulates in a world heritage site

ONTIVEROS, Y.; CAPPA, F. M.; BORGHI, C. E.; ANDINO, N.; CAMPOS, C. M.; GIANNONI, S. M.

JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY (1987)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2024

0952-8369

Nature-based tourism in protected areas can benefit millions of people, generatingsignificant economic income. However, tourism can also have negative impacts onthe environment and wildlife. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led tothe closure of cities and towns, bringing substantial disruption to various humanactivities and providing an opportunity to assess the impact of reduced tourismactivity from the general level. In this study, we assessed the association betweentourism and guanaco (Lama guanicoe) activity patterns in Ischigualasto ProvincialPark across two contrasting periods: pre-pandemic and pandemic during theCOVID-19 outbreak. The different roads in the area were used as a proxy of tourism activity, and comparisons of activity patterns of guanaco between the roadswere made, taking into account both periods. Based on camera-trapping data, weanalyzed the daily activity patterns of the species, as well as whether there was achange in activity toward night hours. We found that guanacos changed their activity patterns in response to human tourism activities and increased their nocturnalactivity in places with high tourist activity in pre-pandemic periods; however, wefound no such effects during the pandemic when tourist pressure was low. Theseresults are vital for the area’s management aimed at conserving the species since,currently, after the pandemic, tourism activities have been resumed, and the numberof visitors to Ischigualasto Provincial Park has grown exponentially