Structural and Narrative Reconstruction of Rural Residents’ Representations of ‘Nature’, ‘Wildlife’, and ‘Landscape’

The objective of this paper is the structural and narrative reconstruction of representations of ‘nature’, ‘wildlife’ and ‘landscape’, held by rural residents of the Dadia Forest Reserve. Data collection involved in-depth interviews. Employing a social representations’ approach, we recovered representational elements that are expected in the case of rural belief systems, such as negative dispositions towards wolves and foxes, as well as elements of an urban adherence, such as nature’s independence. Representational elements refer to visual aspects of the countryside, which seem compatible with the figurative nucleus of the rural idyll. Concerning ‘wildlife’, residents focused on vultures, which comprise the main tourist attraction of the reserve. Scientific knowledge adds to the complexity of the narrative schema, which corresponds to the representation of ‘wildlife’. Interviewees perceived the rural landscape as an interface between the natural and the human-conditioned environment. Our study shows that interviewees make no reference to environmental conservation or quality of life issues, as it could be expected according to relatively wide definitions of the term ‘environmentalism’. Environmental messages reinforced by ecotourism development seem to be recalled primarily in terms of their compatibility with the perceived economic benefit of local people. Despite ecotourism development, representational elements that diverge from a tourist version of ‘nature’, ‘wildlife’ and ‘landscape’ were not pronounced within rural belief-systems. Further interventions within the study area are needed, in order to address a variety of topics under the environmental conservation discourse and raise the environmental awareness of rural residents.     

The role of ecotourism in conservation: panacea or Pandora’s box?

Does ecotourism contribute towards conservation of threatened species and habitats or is it just a marketing ploy of the tourism industry? Using 251 case studies on ecotourism from the literature, I looked at the distribution of case studies over continents, habitats and flagship species types and what factors influenced whether an ecotourism regime was perceived as ecologically sustainable by authors. Over 50% of ecotourism case studies were reported from Africa and Central America. The overall distribution of ecotourism case studies did not reflect vertebrate endemism, nor overall tourism distribution in terms of tourist numbers and receipts. There were significant differences between continents and habitats with regard to the proportion of sustainable case studies: ecotourism is perceived to be less sustainable in South America and Asia, and in island and mountain habitats. The type of flagship species also influenced whether ecotourism was classified as sustainable or not: ecotourism with no flagship species was rarely classified as sustainable while charismatic bird and mammal species were associated with a higher probability of sustainability. In a multivariate analysis, flagship species type and local community involvement were important predictors of sustainability in ecotourism. Detailed a priori planning, local involvement and control measures were perceived by authors of case studies to increase the success of ecotourism in conservation. They also perceived that ecotourism can only be an effective conservation tool under certain conditions. If these are met, the evidence indicates that ecotourism can make a contribution to conservation.     

Evaluating ecotourism in natural protected areas of La Paz Bay, Baja California Sur, México: ecotourism or nature-based tourism?

In natural protected areas, ecotourism could provide the impetus andeconomic investment for improved conservation of species and habitats. However,few studies have attempted to characterise sustainable ecotourism and positiveexamples of ecotourism are still rare. This study conducted a series ofinterviews at the local, regional, and national level in order to identifygeneral feeling and concerns of government and non-government institutions withrespect to ecotourism. Questionnaires were used to assess the extent offulfillment of ecotourism principles by tour operators in protected areas of LaPaz Bay. Government and non-government institutions interviewed expectedecotourism to be a means for regional development, a conservation strategy andcompatible with conservation activities. Ecotourism operators surveyed were morelikely to be considered ecotourism ventures, reaching on average 10 indicators( 3, n = 14), and were found to be providing, insome way, benefits to the conservation of the area. Current ecotourismactivities may provide benefits for conservation, but are not comparable to thecosts involved in the conservation of the protected areas concerned. Hence,current ecotourism activities have not met the expectations of the protectedarea managers. The role that ecotourism can play as a conservation strategydepends on the strategies designed by protected area managers to take touroperators to share the costs and benefits of environmental services.     

生态旅游及其规划的研究进展

以自然资源为基础的生态旅游作为一种促进可持续发展的旅游形式日益为旅游决策者、研究者及规划人员所重视。本文从生态旅游的定义分析入手,对目前国内外就其内涵、特征、功能分区及规划模式和管理的研究现状作出了评价。在此基础上,提出了生态旅游的可操作性定义与实施措施,并强调文脉(地理背景)特征及产品形象策划对生态旅游规划的重要意义。     

Behavior of estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea, Delphinidae), in controlled boat traffic situation at southern coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Dolphin/whale watching activity represents the major source of income to many local communities, however many studies describe negative effects of this activity on animals’ normal behavior. In this paper we describe a behavioral analysis of estuarine dolphins (Sotalia guianensis), proximity pattern and breathing synchrony during the first year after the delimitation of a coastal reserve and enforcement of rules to control boat traffic at southern Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil). Different from studies conducted before the delimitation of the coastal reserve, our results show that forage behavior did not decrease and overall activity budget did not change in the presence of boats, although animals would still increase proximity and breathing synchrony during the first semester. We conclude that simple rules for control of boat traffic are effective in minimizing the short term negative impacts on dolphins. However, the enforcement of common rules is a difficult compromise between community needs and vulnerability of dolphin populations.     

Insects as a piece of the puzzle to mitigate global problems: an opportunity for ecologists

Although scientists have studied and touted the importance of insects to many ecosystem services for decades, insects and insect science are often poorly perceived by the public and by policy makers. Because insects do have important influences on many ecosystem services, they have even greater potential to be used to solve some anthropogenically-caused current global problems. We give several examples where insects are currently being used, or are being considered for future use, as a part of the solution to a global problem, including their potential roles as a part of the solution to sustainable fuel and food systems, deforestation and other environmental degradation, and global inequities. Ecologists have an important role to play in assessing how many of the proposed uses of insects will alter ecological processes and ecosystem services, or how their use may be effectively implemented.     

菲律宾Boracay岛和Mambukal岛三种共栖狐蝠对人类活动的行为和激素反应

栖息地丧失和捕猎导致许多大型狐蝠濒危。尽管在东半球热带地区已经禁止捕猎和采伐,狐蝠的数量仍然在下降。既能维护当地居民利益又能保护狐蝠的折衷对策是生态旅游。然而,人类活动对狐蝠的影响还是未知的。菲律宾Boracay和Mambukal都是旅游区,前者游人少而稳定,后者游人密集且变异较大。我们用非损伤取样法研究了这两个旅游区三种狐蝠的生理紧张情况。在Mambukal,当狐蝠外出采食时,采集狐蝠的粪样,实验室分析粪样肾上腺皮质激素代谢物(GCM)浓度。我们观察记录了紧张反应等一些行为,同时记录了环境因素和人类活动情况。结果表明狐蝠已经习惯了游人的活动,表现在:(1)我们发现两个旅游区游人数量和活动强度差异显著,但是两地狐蝠的行为没有明显的差异;并且在有干扰和无干扰的日期之间,狐蝠的行为也无显著差异;两个旅游区的狐蝠行为表达一致;(2)各种行为与测定的粪样GCM浓度都不相关;(3)尽管在不同研究地点人类活动变异很大,我们发现人类活动并未影响粪样GCM浓度;不过,栖息在狐蝠群中心位置个体的粪样GCM浓度低于在群外围个体的GCM浓度;(4)一些环境因素(如干扰以及与栖息群的距离)影响狐蝠一些行为(如不安、身体护理和哈欠)的表达。如果干扰没有造成狐蝠紧张反应,那么生态旅游将不失为一种保护濒危狐蝠栖息地的理想方案。不过,我们还应认识到,人类干扰对狐蝠行为的影响可能比本研究观察到的更加复杂。因此,对于保护濒危狐蝠,时刻保持干扰最小是最好的选择。     

生态旅游景区环境容量研究

对五指山生态旅游区游客量、服务环境容量与生态环境容量及其相互关系的定量分析表明,王指山山上游览区正常游客量为１９１８游客时,极端游客量为２３０１游客时,其生态环境容量为２４００游客时,服务环境容量６０００游客时,由于景区生态脆弱,生物群落对游客可能的干扰承载力弱、生态系统退化后复缓慢等原因生态环境容量小于服务环境容量,会首先为游客量逐年增加的限制因素。     

Conservation of the horseshoe crab at Kinmen, Taiwan: strategies and practices

In order to conserve the horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus, a famous living fossil in Kinmen and Taiwan, several investigations related to its basic biology were conducted, and public education/participation programs were implemented. Biological investigations included artificially inducing spawning in the laboratory and field, rearing of juveniles, monitoring of habitat characteristics, and establishing a protected area. The grain size of the sediment of the spawning ground was 0.4–1.8mm in diameter and that of the juvenile nursing ground was 0.11–0.19mm. The most suitable water temperature for incubating eggs and rearing juveniles ranged from 28 to 31°C. A total of 800ha of the coastal zone on Kinmen was designated a protected area for the horseshoe crab, based on the Fishery Law, in December 1999. Fishing is prohibited for the 5-year period from 2000 to 2004. Public education programs were conducted to help local people learn about the basic biology of the horseshoe crab, to become aware of its importance and the necessity for conservation, and to empower them to actively participate in the conservation of this species. In addition, a horseshoe crab conservation program has also been incorporated as an element of the local ecotourism industry. Biotechnology business opportunities that may be created as a result of viable horseshoe crab populations will also be promoted.     

广东省自然保护区开展生态旅游的探讨

以生态学的观点,依据可持续发展的原则,从广东省自然保护区现状及生态旅游自身特点出发,将二者有机结合起来,详细论证了广东省自然保护区发展生态旅游的可行性、存在问题及解决办法,并对发展前景做出预测和展望。