Exploitation or Conservation: Can Wildlife Tourism Help Conserve Vulnerable and Endangered Species?

Abstract

Wildlife tourism is increasingly utilising vulnerable and endangered species as tourist attractions. This paper uses the South African cage diving industry as a case study to assess the contributions that the tourism industry can make to the conservation of the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The study highlights that individual operators can make positive contributions using various mechanisms such as interpretation, education and contributing towards scientific research. However when the industry is examined as a collective whole then a number of paradoxes and complications emerge. The study demonstrates that operators face immense pressure when trying to reconcile conservation objectives with business profitability and client satisfaction. This can lead to the development of inappropriate business practices that are counter–productive to the overall aims of conserving target species such as the Great White Shark.