Ecotourism in an archaeological site from the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Many cultural heritage sites are located within biodiversity hotspots and, through restricted anthropogenic intervention, allow biodiversity to thrive. These sites attract an increasing number of tourists, thus visitors-wildlife interactions and conflicts can arise. Little is known about how visitors perceive the wildlife occurring within their visiting areas, with differences in perception between species being expected. We evaluated through a questionnaire survey visitors’ perception regarding the reptiles and amphibians inhabiting Histria archaeological site, located within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. Past archaeological activities inside the site have positively influenced the ecology of tortoises through landscape changes (i.e., archaeological diggings), offering better hibernation sites for the winter and shelter during colder periods. We found that most visitors were not disturbed by the encounters with tortoises, terrapins, frogs and toads, while for snakes 20% were ‘very’ or ‘extremely disturbed’. Disturbance elicited by snakes differed according to visitors’ gender and nationality, women and Romanians being more disturbed. Similarly, emotional response was mostly enthusiasm, except for snakes when visitors expressed repulsion (65% of the Romanians, 30% of the foreigners), while 12% of Romanians expressed repulsion towards frogs and toads as well. Therefore education should be targeted differently according to sex, age and education level, by highlighting the need for preserving cultural and natural heritages in an integrative and educational approach. Our case study emphasized the necessity for in situ education and increasing public awareness in regards with wildlife inhabiting cultural heritage sites.