Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae)
Marine mammal watching is a non-consumptive wildlife-oriented tourism practice. Trichechus manatus manatus (hereinafter – Antillean manatee) belongs to the charismatic marine megafauna and is subject to this practice at many places. Here we investigated the Antillean manatee watching in Brazil, focu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Fund for Support and Development of Protected Areas "Bear Land"
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Nature Conservation Research: Заповедная наука |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ncr-journal.bear-land.org/article/425 |
| _version_ | 1797463626597007360 |
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| author | Paula D. F. Coutinho Ana L. L. Matte Bruna Bezerra |
| author_facet | Paula D. F. Coutinho Ana L. L. Matte Bruna Bezerra |
| author_sort | Paula D. F. Coutinho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Marine mammal watching is a non-consumptive wildlife-oriented tourism practice. Trichechus manatus manatus (hereinafter – Antillean manatee) belongs to the charismatic marine megafauna and is subject to this practice at many places. Here we investigated the Antillean manatee watching in Brazil, focusing on mapping this activity across the country, identifying hotspot areas, analysing the potential seasonality of this practice, and assessing the interactions between people and Antillean manatees. We used a social network as data source since this species often appears on social media. The species is charismatic and have characteristics, which attract public affection such as large body size, gentle behaviour, and distinct physical appearance. We detected Antillean manatee watching in 91 localities distributed across 19 municipalities and nine states in northern and north-eastern Brazil. We considered six localities as Antillean manatee watching hotspots because of their high number of associated images. Five of the hotspots were located within three Protected Areas for sustainable use. We found up to 23 people depicted in a single manatee-related picture posted on social network, but up to five people appeared in most posts (photos and videos). Furthermore, images were significantly posted mostly during the summer months, indicating seasonality in Antillean manatee watching. We classified the manatee-watching interactions collected as either prohibited or permitted by the Brazilian law. Permitted interactions were significantly more frequent, but the occurrence of prohibited interactions reveals the current lack of compliance with Brazilian regulations. We suggest that tourism management strategies prioritise Antillean manatee watching hotspot areas, focusing on reinforcing compliance with local regulations and preferably involving local residents to ensure the sustainability of this practice in Brazil. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:53:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90c161a16e9747648bd1dd83c529677e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2500-008X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:53:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Fund for Support and Development of Protected Areas "Bear Land" |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Conservation Research: Заповедная наука |
| spelling | doaj.art-90c161a16e9747648bd1dd83c529677e2023-11-24T10:31:32ZengFund for Support and Development of Protected Areas "Bear Land"Nature Conservation Research: Заповедная наука2500-008X2023-11-0184617510.24189/ncr.2023.031Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae)Paula D. F. Coutinho0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0757-8556Ana L. L. Matte1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2513-4171Bruna Bezerra2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3039-121XUniversidade Federal de PernambucoUniversidade Federal de PernambucoUniversidade Federal de PernambucoMarine mammal watching is a non-consumptive wildlife-oriented tourism practice. Trichechus manatus manatus (hereinafter – Antillean manatee) belongs to the charismatic marine megafauna and is subject to this practice at many places. Here we investigated the Antillean manatee watching in Brazil, focusing on mapping this activity across the country, identifying hotspot areas, analysing the potential seasonality of this practice, and assessing the interactions between people and Antillean manatees. We used a social network as data source since this species often appears on social media. The species is charismatic and have characteristics, which attract public affection such as large body size, gentle behaviour, and distinct physical appearance. We detected Antillean manatee watching in 91 localities distributed across 19 municipalities and nine states in northern and north-eastern Brazil. We considered six localities as Antillean manatee watching hotspots because of their high number of associated images. Five of the hotspots were located within three Protected Areas for sustainable use. We found up to 23 people depicted in a single manatee-related picture posted on social network, but up to five people appeared in most posts (photos and videos). Furthermore, images were significantly posted mostly during the summer months, indicating seasonality in Antillean manatee watching. We classified the manatee-watching interactions collected as either prohibited or permitted by the Brazilian law. Permitted interactions were significantly more frequent, but the occurrence of prohibited interactions reveals the current lack of compliance with Brazilian regulations. We suggest that tourism management strategies prioritise Antillean manatee watching hotspot areas, focusing on reinforcing compliance with local regulations and preferably involving local residents to ensure the sustainability of this practice in Brazil.https://ncr-journal.bear-land.org/article/425ecotourismhuman-wildlife interactionsirenianstourism sustainabilitytravel behaviourwildlife |
| spellingShingle | Paula D. F. Coutinho Ana L. L. Matte Bruna Bezerra Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) Nature Conservation Research: Заповедная наука ecotourism human-wildlife interaction sirenians tourism sustainability travel behaviour wildlife |
| title | Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) |
| title_full | Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) |
| title_fullStr | Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) |
| title_short | Manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in Northeast Brazil: a case of the Endangered Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) |
| title_sort | manatee watching is widespread and seasonally affected in northeast brazil a case of the endangered trichechus manatus manatus sirenia trichechidae |
| topic | ecotourism human-wildlife interaction sirenians tourism sustainability travel behaviour wildlife |
| url | https://ncr-journal.bear-land.org/article/425 |
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