The influence of visitor feeding and picnic areas on bird communities in rainforest reserves of Queensland and New South Wales
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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Phillips, Steve
Other Supervisors
Jones, Darryl
Year published
2008
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Feeding of wildlife is a popular pastime in urban houseyards, and some studies have indicated that it may also be a common activity in protected areas. Despite its popularity, there is much controversy regarding the possible benefits and impacts of wildlife feeding, and management of this activity in protected areas is further confounded by a lack of reliable research. Studies on wildlife feeding in urban areas and on supplementary feeding may provide valuable insights into expected effects in protected areas. Hence, Chapter 2 offers a detailed review of the current available literature on the feeding of wildlife, with a ...
View more >Feeding of wildlife is a popular pastime in urban houseyards, and some studies have indicated that it may also be a common activity in protected areas. Despite its popularity, there is much controversy regarding the possible benefits and impacts of wildlife feeding, and management of this activity in protected areas is further confounded by a lack of reliable research. Studies on wildlife feeding in urban areas and on supplementary feeding may provide valuable insights into expected effects in protected areas. Hence, Chapter 2 offers a detailed review of the current available literature on the feeding of wildlife, with a focus on the possible positive and negative effects of feeding in protected areas. Over 100 papers were sourced from scientific databases, bibliographies and private collections. Findings indicated that for the wildlife being fed there are few benefits and often numerous negative effects, both proven and anecdotal. Evidence suggests that feeding may, in some cases, lead to increased disease transmission, increased population levels, stress, injury and/or malnutrition, decreased home ranges, and changes in social structure and behaviour. Wildlife feeding has also been found to alter reproductive activities, including length of breeding season, breeding intensity, clutch/litter size, and in some cases, sex ratios of offspring. On the other hand, for the humans involved in wildlife feeding there are several possible, if not proven, benefits. These include positive influences on visitor experiences and attitudes towards wildlife, more predictable sightings of animals, and enhanced effectiveness of interpretation and education programs. There is also some evidence, although largely anecdotal, to suggest that there can be negative impacts on humans involved in wildlife feeding activities, including an increased risk of the spread of disease from wildlife to humans and a clear threat of serious human injuries in some wildlife feeding situations. Currently, the potential negative impacts of visitor feeding of wildlife on the wildlife involved far outweigh the positive benefits and this is a serious concern, particularly when feeding activities are occurring in protected areas where wildlife welfare and ecosystem integrity are key objectives. The potential negative impacts on the humans involved in wildlife feeding activities are somewhat balanced by the possible positive effects, although human safety is one major issue that needs to be assessed and managed on a site-by-site basis.. Further research is urgently required to determine the influences of feeding wildlife in reserves.
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View more >Feeding of wildlife is a popular pastime in urban houseyards, and some studies have indicated that it may also be a common activity in protected areas. Despite its popularity, there is much controversy regarding the possible benefits and impacts of wildlife feeding, and management of this activity in protected areas is further confounded by a lack of reliable research. Studies on wildlife feeding in urban areas and on supplementary feeding may provide valuable insights into expected effects in protected areas. Hence, Chapter 2 offers a detailed review of the current available literature on the feeding of wildlife, with a focus on the possible positive and negative effects of feeding in protected areas. Over 100 papers were sourced from scientific databases, bibliographies and private collections. Findings indicated that for the wildlife being fed there are few benefits and often numerous negative effects, both proven and anecdotal. Evidence suggests that feeding may, in some cases, lead to increased disease transmission, increased population levels, stress, injury and/or malnutrition, decreased home ranges, and changes in social structure and behaviour. Wildlife feeding has also been found to alter reproductive activities, including length of breeding season, breeding intensity, clutch/litter size, and in some cases, sex ratios of offspring. On the other hand, for the humans involved in wildlife feeding there are several possible, if not proven, benefits. These include positive influences on visitor experiences and attitudes towards wildlife, more predictable sightings of animals, and enhanced effectiveness of interpretation and education programs. There is also some evidence, although largely anecdotal, to suggest that there can be negative impacts on humans involved in wildlife feeding activities, including an increased risk of the spread of disease from wildlife to humans and a clear threat of serious human injuries in some wildlife feeding situations. Currently, the potential negative impacts of visitor feeding of wildlife on the wildlife involved far outweigh the positive benefits and this is a serious concern, particularly when feeding activities are occurring in protected areas where wildlife welfare and ecosystem integrity are key objectives. The potential negative impacts on the humans involved in wildlife feeding activities are somewhat balanced by the possible positive effects, although human safety is one major issue that needs to be assessed and managed on a site-by-site basis.. Further research is urgently required to determine the influences of feeding wildlife in reserves.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
School of Environmental and Applied Science
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Subject
Wildlife feeding
Wildlife disease transmission
Wildlife malnutrition
Wildlife in rainforest reserves