<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Nature-based tourist destinations attract millions of visitors every year. In 2020, this trend was interrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 disease and the introduction of global travel restrictions, which significantly reduced the number of tourists. However, with the lifting of these restrictions, the number of visitors to natural areas is increasing even faster. Many of these destinations are national parks and are poorly prepared for rapidly growing attendance, making the impact of human presence on wildlife in protected areas a concern. The main impacts of nature-based tourism on protected areas are: negative impacts on wildlife behaviour by increasing stress levels and spreading diseases and invasive species. There is a risk that nature-based tourism will cause even more damage to nature in the near future, as tourists’ knowledge of ecology and nature conservation is still insufficient, visitor numbers are increasing dynamically and the adaptation and management of protected areas is still inadequate. The most urgent research directions related to nature-based tourism are: large carnivores, ungulates, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Solutions for the management of protected areas should include: e.g. the establishment of educational centres, the provision of additional attractions, the temporary exclusion of certain parts of national parks and the reconstruction of tourism infrastructure in protected areas.</p>
</abstract>

Nature-based tourist destinations attract millions of visitors every year. In 2020, this trend was interrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 disease and the introduction of global travel restrictions, which significantly reduced the number of tourists. However, with the lifting of these restrictions, the number of visitors to natural areas is increasing even faster. Many of these destinations are national parks and are poorly prepared for rapidly growing attendance, making the impact of human presence on wildlife in protected areas a concern. The main impacts of nature-based tourism on protected areas are: negative impacts on wildlife behaviour by increasing stress levels and spreading diseases and invasive species. There is a risk that nature-based tourism will cause even more damage to nature in the near future, as tourists’ knowledge of ecology and nature conservation is still insufficient, visitor numbers are increasing dynamically and the adaptation and management of protected areas is still inadequate. The most urgent research directions related to nature-based tourism are: large carnivores, ungulates, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Solutions for the management of protected areas should include: e.g. the establishment of educational centres, the provision of additional attractions, the temporary exclusion of certain parts of national parks and the reconstruction of tourism infrastructure in protected areas.

The need for wildlife research and improved management of protected areas in the face of increased nature-based tourism

Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Biology

Environmental Protection and Natural Resources

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Nature-based tourist destinations attract millions of visitors every year. In 2020, this trend was interrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 disease and the...

The need for wildlife research and improved management of protected areas in the face of increased nature-based tourism

Published Online: Sep 30, 2023

Page range: 20 - 28

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0009

Keywords
conservation, COVID-19, education, human disturbance, management, national parks, protected areas, tourism, wildlife research

© 2023 Adam Wójcicki, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The need for wildlife research and improved management of protected areas in the face of increased nature-based tourism

Published Online: Sep 30, 2023

Page range: 20 - 28

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0009

Keywordsconservation, COVID-19, education, human disturbance, management, national parks, protected areas, tourism, wildlife research

© 2023 Adam Wójcicki, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
conservation, COVID-19, education, human disturbance, management, national parks, protected areas, tourism, wildlife research