The effects of recreational activities on wild mammals

Abstract

An increasing number of people practise nature-based recreational activities, generating great economic resources, which can become a threat to wildlife species, because wild animals may perceive human presence as a predation risk. Many studies have investigated the effects induced in wild mammals by nature-based recreation. Despite that, a thorough overview of the literature focused on this topic is lacking. We conducted a broad bibliographic search, reviewed 209 articles, and identified 672 case studies about the effect of recreational activities on terrestrial mammals. We hypothesised behavioural metrics, disturbance sources and protocols of data collection affect the probability of detecting the effect of recreational activities. We highlighted this research topic is affected by huge bias both on a taxonomical and geographical level. Studies were mostly carried out in North America or Europe and almost 90 % of them focused on Cetartiodactyla, Carnivora, and Rodentia. Nevertheless, trends in publication rates suggest that these biases are declining. Using multiple regression, we examined the study designs to understand which features were linked with a higher probability of detecting a disturbance. Although studies measuring physiological responses are scarce in the literature, these seem to be more likely to detect disturbances than behavioural ones. Studies implemented on individually recognisable animals are associated with a higher likelihood of detecting the effects of the disturbance.

Harnessing this knowledge, future studies could generate a better understanding of the effects of recreational activities. Adopting suitable study protocols is essential for efficiently managing economic resources in scientific research and can help define better conservation strategies.