A first step to evaluate the impact of ecotourism on biodiversity in El Salvador: a case study using dung beetles in a National Park

Ecotourism involves visiting natural areas without adversely affecting biodiversity, an objective that is often not reached. Although ecotourism in El Salvador is currently under-developed, it has been proposed for the conservation of forests that remain within the territory. To this respect, National Park El Imposible is the largest natural protected area in the nation, with 23% of its extension designated for ecotourism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of ecological disturbances produced by ecotourism, using dung beetles as biological indicators in the park. Three zones differing in tourism intensity: conservation, extensive, and intensive, were evaluated. Six samplings using pitfall traps were carried out from June–November, 2013 in each zone. We recorded a significantly lower beetle abundance in the intensive-use zone, even though biomass tended to increase with ecotourism intensity due to proportional increase in large-sized species. There were differences in composition, diversity, and evenness of the dung beetle assemblage, evidencing ecological disturbances in the intensive-use zone. Ecotourism in the park has caused a negative impact on the dung beetle assemblage structure due to the loss of habitat specialists in favor of widespread generalists. Consequently, ecotourism should be regulated to minimize its effects in the site.