Small sight—Big might: Economic impact of bird tourism shows opportunities for rural communities and biodiversity conservation

the state that remain underserved and predominately inhabited by the state’s rural Indigenous Alaska Native peoples [19]. Only one of two recent Alaska visitor surveys asked respondents about bird watching [20,21]. In a survey related to visitor transportation, the second most reported outdoor activity was wildlife viewing which included bird watching, with 77% of visitors reporting participa- tion. The Alaska Visitor Statistics Program found that 9% of visitors in 2016 engaged in bird watching [21]. The past two decades saw little attention towards monitoring tourism trends across the Cir- cumpolar North, thus few information sources exist on the importance of bird tourism to local economies [22]. Tourism research in Alaska, for example, has focused on the more populated parts of the state with small sample sizes and statistical challenges for informing the remote rural parts of Alaska [22,23]. These parts of Alaska are also the most likely to face the greatest vulnerabilities through potential negative impacts from large-scale economic development and are in need of sustainable economic development opportunities that meet community needs [22]. One of those community needs is retaining the ecological integrity of surrounding lands and waters that support cultural and traditional subsistence practices that to this day form the backbone of local economies [24]. This study contributes economic information about bird tourism in Alaska describing the regional economic impact of bird tourism across Alaska’s ecologically defined Bird Conserva-

tion Regions [15]. We discuss economic impacts on both remote rural and urban economies and opportunities for expanding nature-based tourism in regions with less diverse economies. The study also points towards Alaska’s role in global efforts to reduce biodiversity loss and the important role rural communities can play for positive outcomes in conservation and commu- nity development. Alaska’s bird conservation regions The North American Bird Conservation Initiative divides Alaska into five conservation regions (Fig 1) [15]. First, the Northern Pacific Rainforest Bird Conservation Region we call Rainforest region. It encompasses all of Southeast Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska coast. This region is largely roadless with communities connected through the Alaska Marine Highway System, the state-owned ferries. The region’s forests, offshore islands, estuarine and freshwater wetlands, and rocky shorelines are a critical breeding habitat and a migration stop over for thousands of migratory bird species. Migration stopovers in estuaries along the Southeast Alaska coastline including Prince William Sound boast some of the highest numbers of shore- birds in the state of Alaska. The region’s basic sector industries include tourism, seafood, tim- ber, and mining [25]. This region is known for its shorebird festivals occurring annually each spring in Homer, Yakutat, and Cordova, birdwatching hotspots that are close to rural communities (Fig 2). The festivals attract both Alaska resident birders and birders from outside of Alaska celebrating the

seasonal congregations of shorebirds in this region. Many of the migratory and resident bird species have high conservation status and important cultural significance, such as the Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens), Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), Chestnut backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens), and Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber). Black Oyster- catchers (Haematopus bachmani), Rock Sandpipers (Calidris ptilocnemis), Black Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala), and Surfbirds (Calidris virgate) are common wintering species. The region’s pelagic waters support large populations of shearwaters, storm-petrels, alcids, and Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) [15]. PLOS ONE Economic impact of bird tourism in Alaska PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268594 July 6, 2022 3 / 18