Digital Journal — If you thought walking through a park quietly was harmless, think again. Outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy a walk through a state park can frighten animals such as bobcats and coyotes, carnivorous species whose presence keeps ecosystems in check.
According to conservation biologists from the University of California, Berkeley, the presence of native carnivores was more than five times lower in parks that allow public access than in other reserves where humans don’t tread.
Researchers said there are serious implications to the results of this study. The press release stated:
Since the carnivores in the study are often the top predators in their areas, these animals also shape the rest of their surrounding ecosystems. The flight of large animals from heavily visited parks for more serene surroundings could, in turn, influence populations of small animals and plants.
But why is human presence scaring away coyotes and bobcats? Sarah Reed, a postdoctoral scholar in UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, and lead author of the study, told DigitalJournal.com she has seen an “overall disturbance” at these parks when a large number of people and pets reduce the habitat quality for these species.
“And we used to think these carnivores won’t come in contact with humans, or their trails,” Reed added. “But we found the same effect on or off the trails.”
Reed chose 14 parks in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties and paired them with 14 nearby preserves with no public access. Each paired park and preserve had to have similar characteristics, such as size and amount of nearby development. The 14 parks include Jack London and Annadel state parks and Shiloh Ranch and Spring Lake regional parks in Sonoma County.
Researchers suggest park officers may have to rethink their strategies in the future. As the release states:
People have tended to view recreation and conservation efforts as tightly linked, especially when it comes to land management. Parks aim to both protect natural resources and allow visitors to enjoy them. But if this enjoyment is actually detrimental to conservation, as Reed’s findings suggest, park agencies may have to change how they think about preservation.
Reed wants park to continue to offer access to the public, but she hopes larger parks will set aside conservation areas. “We should look at this at a landscape level, and figure out what properties are suitable for what purpose.”
