Social media selfie hunters harming flora and fauna, scientists warn

Throngs of selfie-mad daytrippers have already prompted protests by residents and the introduction of tourism taxes by local authorities in regions from Austria to Greece and Indonesia.

But it’s not just Alpine village vistas or historic town plazas that are being overwhelmed by the growing number of phone-wielding posers seeking content for their social media feeds.

“The hunt for the perfect selfie” is causing “disruptions to the breeding and feeding patterns of animals and the trampling of endangered plant species,” according to a team of Australian scientists, whose research was published by Elsevier in the journal Science of The Total Environment.

“Social media groups have made it easy for people to identify the location of endangered plant species or the breeding grounds of bird or wildlife species, with the information being disseminated quickly and causing a major influx of people into an area that would otherwise have remained untouched,” said Rob Davis, senior lecturer at Edith Cowan University.

“The Blue-crowned Laughingthrush is a critically endangered bird species which has shown altered nesting behaviours due to disturbances from photographers,” said Bill Bateman, a professor at Curtin University.

Even the mighty Whale Shark is affected, the team warned, with divers’ use of flash photography “negatively affecting” the slow-moving and usually-approachable gentle giants.

Orchids appear to be badly hit, with the flowers, which are “highly susceptible to trampling and habitat changes,” proving to be “particularly popular content for social media posts.” – dpa