Effects of temporal variations in ecotourist noise on an avian community: a case study from a UNESCO world heritage site

Abstract

Investigations into how ecotourist resorts and their visitors impact local ecosystems and their wildlife have produced mixed results. One characteristic of ecotourist infrastructure is anthropogenic noise, and especially how fluctuations of visitors contribute to it. Furthermore, we do not understand how these noise levels influence animal species richness and/or assemblages. Here, we used passive acoustic recording over nine months to quantify how variation in weekly and seasonal human activity influence local bird assemblages at a popular ecotourist resort situated on K’gari (Fraser Island), Australia, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an Important Bird Area (Birdlife International). Background noise levels were highest during peak tourist season, especially proximate to main buildings. This noise was primarily associated with machinery and vehicles, but not human voices or music. Bird species richness correlated with noise (levels and detections), but did not appear to be sensitive to peak seasons or human voices. Community composition, however, was influenced by temporal and spatial fluctuations across peak tourist seasons. This study has implications for the development and maintenance of ecotourist infrastructure attempting to support visitors seeking sightings of rare or sensitive bird species and highlights anthropogenic noise as an important consideration for the industry.