WILDLIFE TOURISM, SCIENCE AND ACTOR NETWORK THEORY

Wildlife tourism is an important component of tourism worldwide. However, for many species little is known about the possible impacts from tourist-wildlife interactions. Previous research has identified barriers to such science being undertaken but this science–wildlife tourism interface remains poorly understood. Actor-network theory, with its attention to the actors and relationships that make science possible, was used to describe and analyze the development and decline of scientific research into the effects of tourism on wildlife in the Antarctic region. This study concludes that actor-network theory provides a robust description of the complex role and positioning of science in wildlife tourism, while at the same time suggesting that further attention to actors’ relative power and scientists’ normative beliefs are essential elements of analysis.