Beyond the trail: how tourist access shapes mammal activity in a highly visited national park in Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v18i1.6648Keywords:
recreational pressure, anthropogenic disturbance, temporal niche, diel shifts, photographic sampling, neotropical faunaAbstract
Introduction: Ecotourism can alter wildlife behavior without affecting species diversity, but this is a poorly known subject. Objective: To evaluate the influence of tourist access on medium- and large-bodied mammals in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica. Methods: From April 2021 to August 2022, camera traps monitored mammals along public trails during periods of restricted and unrestricted tourist access associated with COVID-19 policies and weekly closures. Results: We recorded 16 mammal species, including the first Puma concolor documented in the park. Hill numbers did not differ significantly between restricted and unrestricted access. However, under unrestricted access, Dicotyles tajacu became more nocturnal, Nasua narica increased daytime activity, and Dasyprocta punctata showed little variation. Conclusions: Tourist access affected mammal activity patterns but not community diversity. Species-specific activity was therefore a more sensitive indicator of tourism effects than diversity metrics.
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