Human-animal interaction in the Antarctic: an animal behaviour approach to human disturbance of penguin colonies ...

• Main Author: Nimon-Peters, Amanda
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository 1992
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.27498; https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/280132

Human disturbance of Antarctic penguins is an important aspect of Antarctic conservation. It is a phenomenon which has raised concern for several decades, and has prompted the creation of guidelines for human behaviour which aim to minimise disturbance to these and other Antarctic animals. Disturbance effects of human activities have often been cited as if they were well-understood and self-explanatory; however, little theoretical or empirical research has attempted to establish their true nature, or to clarify such baseline issues as what disturbance means and when it becomes significant. Answers to these questions are offered, based on Nimon and Dalziel's (1992) concept of human-animal interaction, and values espoused in recent documents such as the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. A framework for inquiry in this field is described. The new approach focuses on penguin behaviour, and involves specifying a) what stimulus aspects of human presence affect penguins, b) the changes ...