Linking Variation in Penguin Responses to Pedestrian Activity for Best Practise Management on Subantarctic Macquarie Island
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-26, 15:40authored byHolmes, ND, Giese, MA, Kriwoken, L
From 2001‚Äö-2005, a project was undertaken on subantarctic Macquarie Island to investigate the variation in responses to pedestrian activity by King Aptenodytes patagonicus, Gentoo Pygoscelis papua and Royal Eudyptes schlegeli penguins. The overall aim was to produce management-oriented information both for commercial tourism in the subantarctic and Antarctic, and for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties. A series of experimental and observational studies were employed to quantify aspects of physiology, behaviour and reproductive success of these three species of subantarctic penguins when exposed to pedestrian activity ‚Äö- the most common form of human activity on Macquarie Island. Key aspects of penguin ecology likely to yield information valuable to management were investigated, including: 1) the efficacy of current minimum approach distance guidelines for visitation to penguins; 2) the effect of visitor group size on penguin responses to pedestrian activity; 3) the role of habituation in penguin responses to pedestrian activity; 4) the phase of breeding / moult during which penguins are most sensitive to pedestrian activity; and 5) comparative responses to human activity between the three species examined. This paper describes key results from these five studies, and the application for management of human penguin interactions on Macquarie Island and other subantarctic and Antarctic locations.
History
Publication title
Polarforschung
Volume
77
Article number
1
Number
1
Pagination
7-15
ISSN
0032-2490
Publication status
Published
Rights statement
The definitive version is held at http://www.polarforschung.de/