Assessment of compliance with good practice recommendations in manatee-watching tourism
A case study from Northeast Brazil
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21724072 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paula Djanira Fernandes Coutinho (0000-0002-0757-8556, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, corresponding author), Fernanda Löffler Niemeyer Attademo (0000-0003-2640-6714, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade), Fabia De Oliveira Luna (0000-0001-8960-3462, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade), Alexandra Fernandes Costa (0000-0001-7560-0113, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade), Ana Luiza Leichter Matte (0000-0003-2513-4171, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco), Rebecca Umeed (0000-0002-8039-1210, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco), Bruna Bezerra (0000-0003-3039-121X, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-8 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-23 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Ecotourism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-4049 • E-ISSN: 1747-7638 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14724049.2025.2560584 |
| OpenAlex | W4414485272 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
Animal watching is a non-consumptive wildlife-oriented activity, often community-based. Here, we assessed compliance of community-based tour operators with guidelines for manatee watching in Northeast Brazil and investigated preferred activity periods. One observer gathered visual observations of tour operators over 39 days and found misconduct in five out of seven recommendations. Operators chased manatees, two rafts approached the same free-ranging animal at the same time, exceeded allowed tour duration, and surpassed the recommended limits on visitor numbers and visit hours. Tours mainly occurred during extreme tides and between 10 am and 12 pm, coinciding with manatee feeding times. Given the known adverse effects of boat presence on marine mammal foraging behavior, we recommend avoiding visits during feeding periods. To guarantee the sustainability of the community-based manatee-watching tourism in the area, capacity building for tour operators and studies on the activity's impacts on the Greater Caribbean Manatee are needed
Best practice · Ecotourism · Good practice · Animal and Plant Science Education · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Marine animal studies overview
| Highly cited | No |
|---|