We assessed the effect of motorized tourboats on the behavior of nonbreeding American flamingos ( Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) in the Celestún Estuary, a Special Biosphere Reserve in Yucatán, Mexico, from November 1994 through February 1995. We measured these effects by comparing activity budgets between flocks of flamingos disturbed and undisturbed by tourboats. Disturbance reduced feeding time from 40% before disturbance to 24% after, a 40% loss. Boat disturbance increased alert behavior by 400%. Tourboats averaged 13 per day and caused a disturbance 75% of the time or 3.3 hours per day. Potential loss of feeding time for individuals was estimated at 13% but is likely much higher on days with excessive numbers of tourboats. Flamingos returned to normal feeding rates (40%) within 20 minutes after disturbance. Most tourists (52%) were from Mexico, followed by Germany (14%), and 88% of Mexican visitors were willing to pay an entrance fee to the Celestún Reserve. Conservation efforts should focus on education of tourboat operators to reduce disturbance to flamingos, education of tourists through a visitor’s center and brochures produced in Spanish and English, and expanded involvement of local people.
· Bird watching activities are increasing worldwide, allowing for a closer citizen-nature experience. These activities are considered to promote biodiversity conservation values. We assessed the economic value of the Caribbean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan, Mexico. Celestun has become an important destination for birdwatching-based tourism because of the presence of flamingo flocks in its coastal lagoon. Flamingos at Celestun attract approximately 50,000 national and international visitors yearly. The human population of Celestun is approximately 6,800 inhabitants; their livelihoods mainly depend on fishing, and more recently on bird watching tourism. In order to assess the economic value of flamingo-watching at Celestun, we interviewed 427 visitor groups after they took a flamingo-watching motorboat tour. We conducted the interviews during three of the highest tourism seasons within a year period (2012–2013). The interview questions were directed towards the visitors’ place of origin, their main reasons for visiting Celestun, and how much money they spent traveling, using a direct questionnaire with a total of 37 items. We applied the Travel Cost Method in order to estimate the economic value for flamingo-watching at Celestun. For approximately 80% of the interviewed visitors, flamingos were the main reason to visit Celestun. We obtained a total of US$16,542,004 as the “Flamingo value” placed by visitors.Resumen · Valor recreativo de la observación de Flamencos del Caribe (Phoenicopterus ruber) en Celestún, Yucatán, México Las actividades de observación de aves han aumentado a nivel mundial, permitiendo una experiencia más cercana entre ciudadanos y naturaleza. Se considera que estas actividades promueven los valores de la conservación de la biodiversidad. Estimamos el valor económico del Flamenco del Caribe (Phoenicopterus ruber) en la Reserva de la Biosfera de Celestún, Yucatán, México. Celestún se ha convertido en un importante destino para el turismo basado en la observación de aves, debido a la presencia de parvadas de flamencos en la laguna costera. Los flamencos de Celestún atraen aproximadamente 50,000 visitantes nacionales e internacionales al año. La población en Celestún es de aproximadamente 6,800 habitantes, que viven principalmente de la pesca y más recientemente del turismo de observación de aves. Para estimar el valor económico de la observación de flamencos en Celestún, entrevistamos a 427 grupos de visitantes después de que tomaron el recorrido para observación de flamencos en lanchas de motor. Cubrimos tres temporadas altas de turismo en un periodo anual (2012–2013). Preguntamos acerca del lugar de origen de los visitantes, principal razón para visitar Celestún y cuál fue la cantidad de dinero gastada en su viaje, utilizando un cuestionario directo con un total de 37 ítems. Aplicamos el Método de Costo de Viaje para estimar el valor económico para la actividad de observación de flamencos en Celestún. Para cerca del 80% de los visitantes entrevistados, los flamencos fueron la principal razón para visitar Celestún. Obtuvimos un total de US$ 16,542,004.00 como el “valor del flamenco” en función de la tasa de visitación.
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