SGER: The Impacts of Tourism on Wildlife Populations at Palmer Station, Antarctic Peninsula

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9320115 Fraser Tourism in Antarctica has been showing a steady increase since the late 1960's. Despite rising concern that human activity may negatively impact wildlife populations, studies designed to address this issue have been lacking. The purpose of this Small Grant for Exploratory Research is to examine the feasibility of coupling research on the effects of tourism on Adelie Penguin populations on Torgersen island, Antarctic Peninsula, with two long-term ecosystem-oriented programs already in existence in the area. The rationale for this approach is based on the premise that understanding and defining the natural variability inherent in the ecosystem is a necessary prerequisite for identifying and interpreting the effects of human activity. By employing identical technologies and methodologies, this study seeks to develop identical, coincident databases at sites visited by tourists to compare with databases developed as part of the two ecosystem studies at sites not visited by tourists. The latter will thus provide the background ecosystem data needed to discern and interpret the former. This arrangement, if successful, is likely to establish the proposed research as one of the key studies addressing human impacts in Antarctica, and serve as a model for future research of a similar nature. The award will help fulfill the National Science Foundation's responsibility and obligations for environmental protection under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. ***