The effects of non-consumptive wildlife tourism on free-ranging wildlife: a review

Abstract

Tourism based on free-ranging animals is economically important, but there are no comprehensive studies on the overall balance of its negative and positive effects on wildlife. However, there is a growing body of information on which we can draw for minimizing negative effects and enhancing positive ones. Major categories of negative effects include: direct injury and death; disruption of activities or increase in stress levels; and loss or modification of habitat. About half the published research literature on negative effects involves relatively conspicuous avian species, and there is a need for further research on other taxa. Major categories of positive effects include financial and practical contributions by tourists and tourism operators, economic incentives for wildlife conservation (acting through local communities, the tourism industry and governments) and environmental education. There is far less information on positive than on negative effects, and research is required to examine this quantitatively. However, the evidence suggests there is considerable unrealized potential for wildlife tourism to provide substantial conservation benefits.