Tourism, human–wildlife interactions, and wildlife trade in the globalizing Amazon

Wildlife tourism is a globalization process and consequence that is increasing, yet still in its relative infancy in the Amazon. The drivers and impacts of tourism activities on conservation in the Amazon region are largely unknown. We assessed the role of tourism in wildlife-related activities in the city of Iquitos, Peru, one of the most important sites for both tourism and the wildlife trade in the Amazon. Our multidisciplinary approach entailed key informant interviews with conservation professionals (n = 30), structured surveys with national and foreign tourists (n = 370), participant observation at key tourism sites (n = 12 sites), and analysis of social media (n = 339 YouTube videos). Half of the key informants perceived tourism as a driver of active human–wildlife encounters and wildlife trade. Surveyed tourists participated in activities potentially harmful to wildlife, including taking photos/selfies with wildlife (73%), active interactions with wild animals (handling, playing, feeding; 72%), wild meat consumption (29%), purchase of live animals (15%), turtle egg consumption (13%), and kambo (use of frog secretions as medicine; 9%), with higher proportions of national (Peruvian) tourists than international tourists participating across all of these activities. Peruvian nationality was a statistically significant predictor of engaging in photos/selfies with wildlife, active human–wildlife interactions, purchase of live animals, and wild meat consumption. Active encounters with wildlife were detected in about half (46%) of the videos analyzed, and participant observation confirmed findings from videos that sites advertised as wildlife rescue centers provide opportunities for active tourist-wildlife interactions. We conclude by proposing five intervention points that consider the relationships among tourism and active human–wildlife encounters, the wildlife trade, and information spread via social media in the Peruvian Amazon.