Lines in the Sand: An Anthropological Discourse on Wildlife Tourism

Abstract

Goal and objectives of the dissertationGoalThe management of wildlife tourism has been dominated by ideologies informed by western colonialism and its values of nature. These ideologies, made transparent through communicative and interpretative discourses, influence the way management policies and practices are devised and enacted. The inherent scientific and utilitarian views are supported by a doctrine of separation. This is apparent in the dualism posed, and enacted, between nature and culture that sees humans as being the sole carriers of culture that separates them from the uncultured and uncivilised world of nature into which all other animals, and certainly untamed wildlife, belong. It justifies the use of non-humans for human purposes and continues to allow us to treat non-human animals and other forms of nature in often abominable ways.This thesis explores one of the central dilemmas facing wildlife tourism: what are the implications of the separation constructed between wildlife and people in wildlife tourism settings? This exploration is an interdisciplinary journey drawing on understandings, methods and theories from anthropology, tourism and environmental science. It promotes an engagement between anthropology and the scholarly discourses of tourism and environmental science, and a broad approach to defining and understanding the wildlife tourism community.ObjectivesApproaches to wildlife tourism management are needed which will optimise stakeholder satisfaction with wildlife tourism, within the constraints of ensuring sustainability of the wildlife product. This thesis is designed around a series of objectives aimed at understanding these constraints and finding new approaches. Guiding the research that informs this thesis are questions that ask why management of the human-wildlife interface occurs in the way it does, and what values underpin the constructions of wildlife that, in turn, enable and legitimise the management.MethodologyThis thesis investigates two situations in which wildlife tourism occurs in Australia. Fraser Island and Penguin Island are two wildlife tourism destinations on opposite sides of the continent with very different wildlife but some very similar issues. From these two contexts data was collected through interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and from literary and documentary sources. Understanding the empirical data collected from these case studies is facilitated through a social constructionist view of discourse analysis that allows an unpacking of the messages and a stance from which to challenge the dominant ideologies that frame management and interaction.ResultsThe case studies and theories explored in this thesis highlight the way wildlife tourism is managed. The dominant constructions underlying management policies and practices are exposed, and challenged, and alternatives posed.I demonstrate throughout that anthropology, in its incarnation as environmental anthropology and as a team player in a necessarily interdisciplinary approach to understanding and resolving environmental issues, has much to offer. This engagement has the potential to enhance not only the sustainable future of nature-based activities like wildlife tourism but also the relevance of anthropology in the postcolonial contemporary world. Thus the thesis contributes to the body of literature on the anthropology of tourism, environmental anthropology and wildlife tourism.Theoretical conclusionsThe need for a holistic framework encompassing all the stakeholders in any wildlife tourism venture is proposed. This approach to wildlife tourism is best serviced by examining perspectives, values and concerns of all members of the wildlife tourism community at any given destination. It is only through this type of holistic and situated focus that we can hope to effectively understand, and then manage, in the best interests of all parties. …