Abstract Context. Tourism operations that provide the opportunity for wildlife viewing can support conservation management through public education, habitat protection, population management, research activities and revenue generation. However, alongside these potential benefits there can be negative effects on the species that include the possibility of reduced breeding success, survival and, subsequently, population growth. Aim. We sought to establish whether a tourism operation affected little penguins Eudyptula minor by comparing reproductive and survival parameters of two managed populations in Oamaru, New Zealand. One population was the focus of a tourism operation, whereas the other (located nearby) did not provide any public access. The tourism operation implemented strategies to reduce human disturbance, including the reduction of noise, light and movement from visitors during viewing, and by ensuring that visitors were restricted to designated viewing areas. Methods. Nesting boxes were installed at both colonies that facilitated weekly monitoring of the populations. The monitoring program (1993–2017) included weekly checks of every nesting box in the colony for the presence of eggs, chicks and adults. Chicks were weighed before fledging, and both fledglings and breeding adults were individually marked. Key results. Lay dates, breeding success, chick fledge mass and survival rates were not measurably different between the two populations, indicating that there was little evidence of negative effects on the penguins at the tourist site. Conclusions. The slight differences observed between the colonies during the time series were attributed to environmental damage sustained at the non-tourist site and a difference in the proportion of un-monitored nest sites available to the penguins when the study was initiated. Implications. Notwithstanding the present findings, long-term and consistent monitoring of wildlife populations facing increasing pressure from tourism is essential to ensure effects are detected and that management procedures implemented to reduce potential effects.

中文翻译：

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旅游业和小企鹅：生存和繁殖参数的比较研究

摘要上下文。提供野生动物观赏机会的旅游运营可以通过公共教育、栖息地保护、人口管理、研究活动和创收来支持保护管理。然而，除了这些潜在的好处之外，还可能对物种产生负面影响，包括降低繁殖成功率、存活率以及随后的种群增长的可能性。目标。我们试图通过比较新西兰奥马鲁两个管理种群的繁殖和生存参数来确定旅游业务是否影响了小企鹅 Eudyptula minor。一个人口是旅游活动的重点，而另一个（位于附近）没有提供任何公共通道。旅游业务实施了减少人为干扰的策略，包括减少噪音、参观者在观看期间的光线和移动，并确保将参观者限制在指定的观看区域。方法。两个殖民地都安装了巢箱，便于每周监测种群。监测计划（1993-2017 年）包括每周检查蜂群中每个筑巢箱是否存在鸡蛋、雏鸡和成虫。雏鸡在出雏前称重，雏鸟和繁殖成体都单独标记。关键结果。两个种群之间的产卵日期、繁殖成功率、雏鸡的羽毛质量和存活率没有明显差异，这表明几乎没有证据表明对旅游景点的企鹅产生负面影响。结论。在时间序列期间观察到的殖民地之间的细微差异归因于非旅游地点持续的环境破坏以及研究开始时企鹅可用的未监测巢穴比例的差异。影响。尽管有目前的调查结果，但对面临越来越大的旅游业压力的野生动物种群进行长期和一致的监测对于确保检测到影响并实施管理程序以减少潜在影响至关重要。