1,517
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

The elephant in the Zoom: the role of virtual safaris during the COVID-19 pandemic for conservation resilience

ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 2221-2234 | Received 10 Jun 2022, Accepted 29 Sep 2022, Published online: 08 Nov 2022

References

  • Akhtar, N., Khan, N., Mahroof Khan, M., Ashraf, S., Hashmi, M. S., Khan, M. M., & Hishan, S. S. (2021). Post-COVID 19 tourism: Will digital tourism replace mass tourism? Sustainability, 13, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105352
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Brockington, D., & Duffy, R. (2010). Capitalism and conservation: The production and reproduction of biodiversity conservation. Antipode, 42(3), 469–484. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2010.00760.x
  • Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Büscher, B., Sullivan, S., Neves, K., Igoe, J., & Brockington, D. (2012). Towards a synthesized critique of neoliberal biodiversity conservation. Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, 23(2), 4–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/10455752.2012.674149
  • Cho, Y. H., Wang, Y., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2002). Searching for experiences: The web-based virtual tour in tourism marketing. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 12(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v12n04_01
  • Corlett, R. T., Primack, R. B., Devictor, V., Maas, B., Goswami, V. R., Bates, A. E., Koh, L. P., Regan, T. J., Loyola, R., Pakeman, R. J., Cumming, G. S., Pidgeon, A., Johns, D., & Roth, R. (2020). Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on biodiversity conservation. Biological Conservation, 246, 8–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108571
  • Cumming, T., Seidl, A., Emerton, L., Spenceley, A., Kroner, R. G., Uwineza, Y., & van Zyl, H. (2021). Building sustainable finance for resilient protected and conserved areas: Lessons from COVID-19. Parks, 27(27), 149–160. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PARKS-27-SITC.en
  • Department of Tourism, & Tourism Business Council (TBCSA). (2020). Tourism industry survey of South Africa: COVID-19 impact, mitigation and the future. Department of Tourism. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/648261588959603840/pdf/Tourism-Industry-Survey-of-South-Africa-COVID-19-Impact-Mitigation-and-the-Future-Survey-1.pdf.
  • Fennell, D. A. (2021). Technology and the sustainable tourist in the new age of disruption. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(5), 767–773. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1769639
  • Filter, E., Eckes, A., Fiebelkorn, F., & Büssing, A. G. (2020). Virtual reality nature experiences involving wolves on YouTube: Presence, emotions, and attitudes in immersive and nonimmersive settings. Sustainability, 12(9), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093823
  • Fletcher, R., Büscher, B., Massarella, K., & Koot, S. (2020). Close the tap!’: COVID-19 and the need for convivial conservation. Journal of Australian Political Economy, 85, 200–211. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/ielapa.213459337360391
  • Gibbons, D. W., Sandbrook, C., Sutherland, W. J., Akter, R., Bradbury, R., Broad, S., Clements, A., Crick, H. Q., Elliott, J., Gyeltshen, N., & Heath, M. (2021). The relative importance of COVID-19 pandemic impacts on biodiversity conservation globally. Conservation Biology, https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13781
  • Giddy, J. K., & Rogerson, J. M. (2021). Nature-based tourism enterprise adaptive responses to COVID-19 in South Africa. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 36(2spl), 698–707. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.362spl18-700
  • Glenn, I. (2021). Telesafaris, WildEarth television, and the future of tourism. International Journal of Communication, 15, 2569–2585.
  • Globetrender. (2020). AndBeyond sells live online safaris to fund conservation. https://globetrender.com/2020/12/09/andbeyond-private-virtual-safaris-conservation/.
  • Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2020). Pandemics, tourism and global change: A rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1758708
  • Gretzel, U., Fuchs, M., Baggio, R., Hoepken, W., Law, R., Neidhardt, J., Pesonen, J., Zanker, M., & Xiang, Z. (2020). e-Tourism beyond COVID-19: A call for transformative research. Information Technology and Tourism, 22(2), 187–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00181-3
  • Hartig, T., van den Berg, A. E., Hagerhall, C. M., Tomalak, M., Bauer, N., Hansmann, R., Ojala, A., Syngollitou, E., Carrus, G., van Herzele, A., Bell, S., Podesta, M. T. C., & Waaseth, G. (2011). Health benefits of nature experience: Psychological, social and cultural processes. In K. Nilsson, M. Sangster, C. Gallis, T. Hartig, S. de Vries, K. Seeland, & J. Schipperijn (Eds.), Forests, trees and human health (pp. 127–168). Springer Netherlands.
  • Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2020). Socialising tourism for social and ecological justice after COVID-19. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 610–623. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1757748
  • Hockings, M., Dudley, N., Elliott, W., Ferreira, M. N., MacKinnon, K., Pasha, M., Phillips, A., & Stolton, S. (2020). Editorial essay: COVID-19 and protected and conserved areas. Parks, 26(1), 7–24. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.PARKS-26-1MH.en
  • Hofman, K., Hughes, K., Hofman, K., Hughes, K., & Walters, G. (2022). The effectiveness of virtual vs real-life marine tourism experiences in encouraging conservation behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 30(4), 742–766. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1884690
  • Igoe, J., & Brockington, D. (2007). Neoliberal conservation: A brief introduction. Conservation and Society, 5(4), 432–449. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26392898
  • Jarratt, D. (2020). An exploration of webcam-travel: Connecting to place and nature through webcams during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 21(2), 156–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358420963370
  • Kideghesho, J. R., Kimaro, H. S., Mayengo, G., & Kisingo, A. W. (2021). Will Tanzania’s wildlife sector survive the COVID-19 pandemic? Tropical Conservation Science, 14), https://doi.org/10.1177/19400829211012682
  • Kroner, R. G., Barbier, E. B., Chassot, O., Chaudhary, S., Cordova, L., Cruz-Trinidad, A., Cumming, T., Howard, J., Said, C. K., Kun, Z., Ogena, A., Palla, F., Valiente, R. S., Troëng, S., Valverde, A., Wijethunga, R., & Wong, M. (2021). COVID-era policies and economic recovery plans: Are governments building back better for protected and conserved areas? Parks, 27(27), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PARKS-27-SIRGK.en
  • Lendelvo, S., Pinto, M., & Sullivan, S. (2020). A perfect storm? The impact of COVID-19 on community-based conservation in Namibia. Namibian Journal of Environment, 4(2018), 1–15. http://www.nje.org.na/index.php/nje/article/view/volume4-lendelvo
  • Leung, Y., Spenceley, A., Hvenegaard, G., Buckley, R., & Groves, C. (2018). Tourism and visitor management in protected areas: Guidelines for sustainability (Issue Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 27).
  • Lindsey, P., Allan, J., Brehony, P., Dickman, A., Robson, A., Begg, C., Bhammar, H., Blanken, L., Breuer, T., Fitzgerald, K., & Flyman, M. (2020). Conserving Africa’s wildlife and wildlands through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4(10), 1300–1310. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1275-6
  • Lu, J., Xiao, X., Xu, Z., Wang, C., Zhang, M., & Zhou, Y. (2021). The potential of virtual tourism in the recovery of tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1959526
  • Moon, K., & Blackman, D. (2014). A guide to understanding social science research for natural scientists. Conservation Biology, 28(5), 1167–1177. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12326
  • Mura, P., Tavakoli, R., & Pahlevan Sharif, S. (2017). Authentic but not too much’: Exploring perceptions of authenticity of virtual tourism. Information Technology and Tourism, 17(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-016-0059-y
  • Newing, H., Eagle, C., Puri, R., & Watson, C. (2010). Conducting research in conservation: Social science methods and practice. Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2020). Rebuilding tourism for the future: COVID-19 policy responses and recovery. https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=137_137392-qsvjt75vnh&title=Rebuilding-tourism-for-the-future-COVID-19-policy-response-and-recovery&_ga=2.248143239.105579590.1623153762-1095069542.1623153762.
  • QSR International. (2020). NVivo qualitative data analysis software.
  • Reynolds, L., Rogers, O., Benford, A., Ingwaldson, A., Vu, B., Holstege, T., & Alvarado, K. (2020). Virtual nature as an intervention for reducing stress and improving mood in people with substance Use disorder. Journal of Addiction, 2020, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1892390
  • Sandbrook, C., Gómez-Baggethun, E., & Adams, W. M. (2020). Biodiversity conservation in a post-COVID-19 economy. Oryx, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320001039
  • Searle, A., Turnbull, J., & Lorimer, J. (2021). After the anthropause: Lockdown lessons for more-than-human geographies. Geographical Journal, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12373
  • Skibins, J. C., & Sharp, R. L. (2018). Binge watching bears: Efficacy of real vs. Virtual flagship exposure. Journal of Ecotourism, 152–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2018.1553977
  • Smith, M. K. S., Smit, I. P. J., Swemmer, L. K., Mokhatla, M. M., Freitag, S., Roux, D. J., & Dziba, L. (2021). Sustainability of protected areas: Vulnerabilities and opportunities as revealed by COVID-19 in a national park management agency. Biological Conservation, 255, 108985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.108985
  • Spenceley, A., McCool, S., Newsome, D., Báez, A., Barborak, J. R., Blye, C. J., Bricker, K., Sigit Cahyadi, H., Corrigan, K., Halpenny, E., & Hvenegaard, G. (2021). Tourism in protected and conserved areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Parks, 27(27), 103–118. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PARKS-27-SIAS.en
  • Steuer, J. (1992). Defining virtual reality: Dimensions determining telepresence. Journal of Communications, 42(4), 73–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1992.tb00812.x
  • Sullivan, S. (2006). Elephant in the room? Problematising ‘new’ (neoliberal) biodiversity conservation. Forum for Development Studies, 33(1), 105–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039410.2006.9666337
  • Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Pahl, S., White, M. P., Auvray, M., Stone, R. J., Andrade, J., May, J., Mills, I., & Moles, D. R. (2018). The soothing sea: A virtual coastal walk can reduce experienced and recollected pain. Environment and Behavior, 50(6), 599–625. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916517710077
  • Turnbull, J., Searle, A., & Adams, W. M. (2020). Quarantine encounters with digital animals: More-than-human geographies of lockdown life. Journal of Environmental Media, 1(1), 6.1–6.10. https://doi.org/10.1386/jem_00027_1
  • United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). (2021). First draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/abb5/591f/2e46096d3f0330b08ce87a45/wg2020-03-03-en.pdf.
  • United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). (2021). UNWTO World Tourism barometer and statistical annex, May 2021. https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/abs/10.18111wtobarometereng.2021.19.1.3.
  • Valentine, G. (2005). Tell me about … : Using interviews as a research methodology. In R. Flowerdew, & D. M. Martin (Eds.), Methods in human geography: A guide for students doing a research project, Second Edi, (pp. 110–128). Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Verkerk, V.-A. (2022). Virtual reality: Saving tourism in South Africa? African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 11(1), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720.225
  • Waithaka, J., Dudley, N., Álvarez Malvido, M., Mora, S. A., Chapman, S., Figgis, P., Fitzsimons, J., Gallon, S., Gray, T. N. E., Kim, M., Pasha, M. K. S., Perkin, S., Roig-Boixeda, P., Sierra, C., Valverde, A., & Wong, M. (2021). Impacts of COVID-19 on protected and conserved areas: A global overview and regional perspectives. Parks, 27(27), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PARKS-27-SIJW.en
  • World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). (2019). The economic impact of global wildlife tourism. https://travesiasdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/The-Economic-Impact-of-Global-Wildlife-Tourism-Final-19.pdf.