Understanding visitor use in Antarctica: the need for site criteria

Abstract The landing of visitors in Antarctica presents wilderness managers with several challenges. Foremost among these is ensuring that visitors do not ‘love the wilderness to death.’ This article presents research gathered on Hannah Point, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands during the aus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Record
Main Author: Davis, Pamela B.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1998
Subjects:
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ecology
Geography, Planning and Development
Austral
South Shetland Islands
Livingston Island
Hannah
The Landing
Hannah Point
Antarc*
Antarctica
Polar Record
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400014972
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400014972
Description
Summary:Abstract The landing of visitors in Antarctica presents wilderness managers with several challenges. Foremost among these is ensuring that visitors do not ‘love the wilderness to death.’ This article presents research gathered on Hannah Point, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands during the austral summer of 1993/94. First, an estimation of duration and type of use was conducted to identify where visitors spent the majority of their time, and second, what conditions, such as weather, physical layout, or on-site supervision, influenced this decision. The implications of these results are discussed vis-à-vis the current system of visitor landings, and suggestions are offered to help devise criteria for landing procedures. This paper stresses how the pattern of visitor landings can be altered, as a preventative strategy, to ensure low impact on visitor sites.

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