Northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus annamensis) travel and scan more at the cost of rest when in the presence of tourists

Abstract

The tourism sector is a fast-growing contributor to the global economy, and nature-based tourism (NBT), particularly in Asia and Africa, is booming. Through the creation of jobs and revenue NBT has the potential to combat deforestation in regions that are economically poor, but of high biodiversity value. Inspired by the success of gorilla tourism in Uganda and Rwanda, several gibbon tourism projects have been initiated in Southeast Asia and China. Despite the existence of these programmes, no research has been done to investigate the impact of tourism on the behaviour of gibbons. To address this, we collected observational data on a group of northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus annamensis) at Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park (VSSPNP), Cambodia, in the presence and absence of tourists. We found there was a significant increase in the amount of time individuals spent scanning their environment and travelling at the cost of rest when in the presence of tourists. We also found that individuals were significantly more likely to self-groom in the presence of tourists. These results highlight the importance of scientific research in implementing successful, low-impact NBT programmes that consider animal behavioural changes. We are continuing to collect data on gibbons at VSSPNP and at Mt. Gaoligong National Nature Reserve, China with the aim of extending the IUCN’s best-practice guidelines for great-ape tourism to include the small apes.