Alaska Visitors’ Knowledge about Invasive Species in a Warming Arctic

As the climate warms and sea ice continues to melt, an increase in overall shipping traffic to the Arctic and to local communities is expected. Specifically, cruise ships have led to higher numbers of visitors to the Arctic. As a secondary effect of increased human activity in the Arctic, invasive species prevention and removal will become a priority, especially as species’ ranges continue to shift with the warming climate. Thus, it is important to have a baseline of visitor knowledge of invasive species in the region to promote robust monitoring. To evaluate visitor knowledge, we conducted visitor intercept surveys in three Alaskan towns that experience tourism. Results show that owning watercraft led to an increase in knowledge, but increased knowledge did not lead to any changes in behavior. Increased invasive species knowledge did not differ between traveler groups. Our research demonstrates the need to consider spillover effects from tourism and a potential need to focus on systemic policy changes instead of educational campaigns to encourage cleaning gear.