Impacts of human recreation on carnivores in protected areas

PLOS ONE, Nov 2019

Mammalian carnivores can be particularly sensitive to human disturbance, even within protected areas (PAs). Our objective was to understand how human disturbance affects carnivore communities in southern Arizona, USA by studying habitat occupancy based on data collected using non-invasive methods in three PAs with different levels of human disturbance. Carnivore occupancy varied based on human disturbance variables (i.e., roads, trails, etc.). Common carnivore species (coyotes, gray foxes, and bobcats) had high occupancy probability in highly disturbed sites, while all other carnivore species had a higher probability of occupancy in low disturbance protected areas. Additionally, overall carnivore diversity was higher in PAs with low human disturbance. Edges of PAs appeared to negatively impact occupancy of nearly all carnivore species. We also found the presence of roads and trails, and not necessarily how much they are used, had a significant negative impact on the occupancy of most carnivore species. Furthermore, the overall level of disturbance within a PA influenced how sensitive carnivores were to human disturbance variables. Carnivores were more sensitive in PAs with higher levels of disturbance and were relatively unaffected by disturbance variables in a PA with low base levels of disturbance. Increased visitation to PAs, expected with the region’s high level of population growth, is likely to cause shifts in the carnivore communities favoring species that are less sensitive to disturbance.

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Impacts of human recreation on carnivores in protected areas

April Impacts of human recreation on carnivores in protected areas Angela Darnell Baker¤ 0 1 2 Paul L. Leberg 0 1 2 0 Current address: Humboldt State University, Wildlife Department , Arcata, California , United States of America 1 Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette , Lafayette, Louisiana , United States of America 2 Editor: AndreÂs Viña, Michigan State University , UNITED STATES Mammalian carnivores can be particularly sensitive to human disturbance, even within protected areas (PAs). Our objective was to understand how human disturbance affects carnivore communities in southern Arizona, USA by studying habitat occupancy based on data collected using non-invasive methods in three PAs with different levels of human disturbance. Carnivore occupancy varied based on human disturbance variables (i.e., roads, trails, etc.). Common carnivore species (coyotes, gray foxes, and bobcats) had high occupancy probability in highly disturbed sites, while all other carnivore species had a higher probability of occupancy in low disturbance protected areas. Additionally, overall carnivore diversity was higher in PAs with low human disturbance. Edges of PAs appeared to negatively impact occupancy of nearly all carnivore species. We also found the presence of roads and trails, and not necessarily how much they are used, had a significant negative impact on the occupancy of most carnivore species. Furthermore, the overall level of disturbance within a PA influenced how sensitive carnivores were to human disturbance variables. Carnivores were more sensitive in PAs with higher levels of disturbance and were relatively unaffected by disturbance variables in a PA with low base levels of disturbance. Increased visitation to PAs, expected with the region's high level of population growth, is likely to cause shifts in the carnivore communities favoring species that are less sensitive to disturbance. - Funding: Funding was provided by the Graduate Student Organization at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and from generous donors facilitated through Instrumentl Crowdfunding. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Introduction Mammalian carnivores are often a vital component of ecosystems, influencing community structure, stability, and diversity [1±4]. They can also be important surrogate species for conservation priorities, acting as indicators of biodiversity, umbrella species, or flagship species in their respective ecosystems [5±7]. Human disturbance has been shown to affect the diversity, composition, and structure of many communities [8±10], and carnivores are particularly sensitive to human disturbance due to their relatively large body sizes, large home ranges, low fecundity, long generation times, and low populations densities [2, 11, 12]. Adding to their vulnerability is the fact that they often come into conflict with humans [13]. Cardillo, Purvis [14] found that intrinsic biological factors, such as those mentioned above, interact with human population density to account for a large portion of the extinction risk of carnivores. Thus, in many parts of the world, protected areas (PAs) are the last available refuge for carnivore species and are essential to their persistence [11, 14, 15]. Margules and Pressey [16] contend that one of the primary roles of a PA is to separate the diversity of organisms within it from the activities that threaten their existence. We considered a PA as an area dedicated to and managed for the ª. . .conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural valuesº [ 17 ]. Examples of such areas in the United States would include state and national parks and forests, conservation easements, and wildlife refuges. Although carnivores in these PAs may not face hunting mortality, they are not immune to the impacts of human disturbance [18, 19]. Most PAs allow access for hiking, camping, and other recreational activities, all of which can have significant impacts on wildlife [20±22]. Reed and Merenlender [23] found that quiet, non-consumptive recreational activities (e.g., hiking) resulted in a significant decrease in density (5x fewer) of native carnivores compared to PAs that were not open to the public. A recent review found that 59% of studies documented negative effects of recreation in protected areas on wildlife [24]. As the impacts on carnivore communities may have far reaching impacts on ecosystems, determining the effects of human disturbance in PAs is therefore essential for improving science-based conservation policies [ 15, 25, 26 ]. The carnivore community of the southwestern United States has been relatively understudied. Although there are published studies that focus on individual or small subsets of species (e.g., [ 27 ],[ 28 ]), examinations of the broader (...truncated)


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Angela Darnell Baker, Paul L. Leberg. Impacts of human recreation on carnivores in protected areas, PLOS ONE, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 4, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195436