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Abstract
Avitourism is an emerging sub-sector of the nature-based tourism industry, where tourist travel motivations are focused around birdwatching. Certain aspects of the industry are yet to be examined adequately. This paper reviews patterns among 66 research studies published between 1989 and 2014 that examine avitourism, its participants and stakeholders across several research themes. There is a distinct northern hemisphere bias (n = 46) in avitourism research effort, with research dominated by studies of the avitourists themselves (n = 35). Key objectives of studies reviewed were primarily concerned with the economic impacts of avitourism (n = 21), the motivations of birders as avitourists (n = 18) and increasing our understanding of the avitourism market (n = 12). Ten studies specifically examined the types of birds or bird-related events (i.e. migrations) avitourists seek. Few studies (n = 6) have examined the negative impacts on birds arising from avitourism. The sustainability of avitourism is dependent upon understanding both the avitourism product and the willingness of avitourists to see particular species. Enhanced understanding of avitourism opportunities and avitourist desires could guide industry growth, assist the economies of many communities, highlight birds and habitats vulnerable to the negative impacts of avitourism, and help finance conservation work. A series of priority research themes are outlined.
观鸟生态旅游-参与市场、分布和影响的全球研究观点，对于未来可持续旅游管理的启示
观鸟生态旅游是在生态旅游基础上发展起来的一个分支，指旅游者旅游的目的以赏鸟为主。这个研究的许多方面已经被充分研究。本文回顾了在1989至2014发表的探究赏鸟旅游的66篇文献和在这些文献中的参与者和关键人物。在赏鸟生态旅游研究中有明显的北半球差异（数目46），这些研究大多是研究者自身的观鸟生态旅游（数目35）。这些研究的主要目的是探究观鸟生态旅游的经济影响（数目21），猎鸟者变为观鸟生态旅游者的动机（数目18）和我们对于观鸟生态旅游认识的增加（数目12）。十篇文献主要研究鸟的种类及鸟类相关习性（迁移）。少数文章（数目6）检测了观鸟生态旅游导致的鸟类数目增加引起的消极影响。观鸟生态旅游的可持续性以观鸟生态旅游产品和观看特种鸟类的意愿为基础。本文指出对于观鸟生态旅游理解和意愿的增加有助于行业的发展和社区经济的繁荣，观鸟生态旅游中鸟类栖息地的脆弱性也得到的关注，并且对于保护工作有所帮助。本文也指出了一系列的优先研究课题。
Acknowledgements
The authors thank BirdLife International for permission to use bird species data in this study. They thank the reviewers for valuable comments and contributions to the development of this paper. Thanks also to Mark Ballantyne for comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Rochelle Steven
Rochelle Steven is a PhD candidate at Griffith University. Her current project is examining avitourism and its implications for conservation of birds and bird habitats, specifically BirdLife's Important Bird Areas. Her honours research examined the relationship between threatened birds and tourism more generally. She has published two papers from this research, following publication of a literature review from her undergraduate studies.
Clare Morrison
Clare Morrison is a research fellow at the International Centre for Ecotourism Research (ICER), Griffith University. Her research interests involve sustainable tourism and the role of tourism in promoting and sustaining conservation, particularly in developing regions. She has published more than 23 papers and book chapters on conservation biology, threatened species management and community participation in conservation.
J. Guy Castley
Guy Castley is a Senior Research Fellow whose current research examines the linkages between conservation and tourism, and how tourism can benefit conservation at local, regional, national and international scales. His multidisciplinary background and experience in conservation biology and protected area management provide the basis for exploring novel mechanisms for conservation action through tourism. He has published more than 50 papers, book chapters and conference papers in the conservation and tourism area.