Effects of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on coral reef fishes at eco-tourism sites in Bora-Bora, French Polynesia

Lecchini, David; Brooker, Rohan M.; Waqalevu, Viliame; Gairin, Emma; Minier, Lana; Berthe, Cécile; Besineau, Rainui; Blay, Guilhem; Maueau, Tehani; Sturny, Vincent; Bambridge, Tamatoa; Sang, Gaston Tong; Bertucci, Frédéric

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105451

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Moreover, a hypothetical increase in poaching during the lockdown would further support our findings, i.e., fish density would be even higher. Finally, a very recent study in French Polynesia also showed a more than 2-fold increase in fish density in ecotourism sites during the lockdown period of Bora-Bora, corroborating our findings (Lecchini et al 2021). Therefore, we assert that ecotourism, the only authorized human activity in Cabo Pulmo, impacts the presence and behavior of marine fauna, even in a well-managed no-take reserve.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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COVID-19 lockdown reveals fish density may be much higher in marine reserves

Olán-González

Reyes‐Bonilla

Arreola-Alarcón

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Marine reserves generally allow ecotourism to offer an alternative income to fishing. However, we need to assess its impact on wildlife to make this activity sustainable. The COVID-19 lockdown provided a unique opportunity to evaluate wildlife diversity in the absence of human activity. In a Mexican reserve, we monitored fish assemblages before, during, and just after the lockdown. We show that ecotourism activities alter the behavior of fishes by finding a 2.5-fold density rise during the lockdown. We suggest that the noise pollution generated by the numerous recreational vessels is a significant factor of perturbation. In the absence of noise pollution, some fishes may be bolder (less hidden) and others can come back to the reserve from usually quieter areas (e.g., deeper waters). Our results represent a great worldwide incentive to improve the health of marine reserves by establishing concrete measures in managing plans to mitigate noise pollution.Open Research statementAll data and code necessary to reproduce the results of the paper are enclosed in the submission for review purposes, and will be published on Zenodo following the acceptance of the paper.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

COVID-19 lockdown reveals fish density may be much higher in marine reserves

Olán-González

Reyes‐Bonilla

Arreola-Alarcón

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…These were then repeated in July (6–7) after the tourism industry began re-opening (‘post-lockdown’ surveys). Similar to recent studies on coral reefs in French Polynesia [ 15 ], India [ 16 ] and Israel [ 6 ], we hypothesized that the lockdown-associated reduction in human activities would lead to increases in fish densities across heavily used sites at Moorea. Here, we build on a long-term monitoring effort that uses the aforementioned transects to document fish density and examine how the abrupt reduction of marine-based activities during lockdown affected fish populations within and outside of MPAs at Moorea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

COVID-19 lockdown highlights impact of recreational activities on the behaviour of coral reef fishes

et al. 2022

Self Cite

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In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in human activities and restriction of all but essential movement for much of the world's population. A large, but temporary, increase in air and water quality followed, and there have been several reports of animal populations moving into new areas. Extending on long-term monitoring efforts, we examined how coral reef fish populations were affected by the government-mandated lockdown across a series of Marine Protected Area (MPA) and non-Marine Protected Area (nMPA) sites around Moorea, French Polynesia. During the first six-week lockdown that Moorea experienced between March and May 2020, increases (approx. two-fold) in both harvested and non-harvested fishes were observed across the MPA and nMPA inner barrier reef sites, while no differences were observed across the outer barrier sites. Interviews with local amateur and professional fishers indicated that while rules regarding MPA boundaries were generally followed, some subsistence fishing continued in spite of the lockdown, including within MPAs. As most recreational activities occur along the inner reef, our data suggest that the lockdown-induced reduction in recreational activities resulted in the recolonization of these areas by fishes, highlighting how fish behaviour and space use can rapidly change in our absence.

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“…The presence of mass tourists in natural destinations is not always in favor of ecotourism. In confirmation of this claim Lecchini et al (24) studied the impact of human activity at France reef eco-tourism sites. They found that fish density considerably increased in the absence of tourists.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 87%

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on ecotourism, a study from West of Iran

Rahimian

Rad

Zareei

2022

Front. Public Health

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Most tourism researchers agree on the effects of the COVID-19 on ecotourism. The present study aims to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ecotourism status in Lorestan province in Iran. To this aim, 29 effects were identified using Delphi technique. According to results, the effects were divided into six categories including the decreased number of incoming tourists, the reduced activity of hotels and resorts, the declined income of goods and service suppliers for tourists, the decreased activity of travel agencies and tourist tours, as well as positive and negative environmental effects. Generally, the results provide new knowledge in the field of ecotourism crisis management. In addition, the identified effects provide the basis for further research on the method of reducing the negative effects.

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Effects of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on coral reef fishes at eco-tourism sites in Bora-Bora, French Polynesia

Cited by 23 publications

References 55 publications

COVID-19 lockdown reveals fish density may be much higher in marine reserves

COVID-19 lockdown reveals fish density may be much higher in marine reserves

COVID-19 lockdown highlights impact of recreational activities on the behaviour of coral reef fishes

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on ecotourism, a study from West of Iran

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