The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica

There has been little progress in implementing protection of wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica since the coming into force of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in 1998. This can in part be attributed to a lack of research defining these values and showing h...

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Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Rupert Summerson, Ian D. Bishop
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858
https://doaj.org/article/72ae4c39a7d9434ea738bf76ad707e9d
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spelling ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:72ae4c39a7d9434ea738bf76ad707e9d 2023-05-15T13:58:42+02:00 The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica Rupert Summerson Ian D. Bishop 2012-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858 https://doaj.org/article/72ae4c39a7d9434ea738bf76ad707e9d EN eng Norwegian Polar Institute http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/10858/pdf_2 https://doaj.org/toc/0800-0395 https://doaj.org/toc/1751-8369 doi:10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858 0800-0395 1751-8369 https://doaj.org/article/72ae4c39a7d9434ea738bf76ad707e9d Polar Research, Vol 31, Iss 0, Pp 1-21 (2012) Antarctica Madrid Protocol wilderness aesthetic values photographs Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 article 2012 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858 2022-12-31T13:50:55Z There has been little progress in implementing protection of wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica since the coming into force of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in 1998. This can in part be attributed to a lack of research defining these values and showing how they may be assessed. In 2009, a survey comprising 90 images of Antarctic landscapes was established on the Internet to canvass as wide a cross-section of people with an interest in Antarctica as possible on their perceptions of wilderness and their aesthetic preference. At the time of writing, over 337 respondents from 23 nationalities have taken part in the survey. Responses were analysed to determine the effect of human presence, both transient and as infrastructure, on perceptions of wilderness and aesthetic values. The analysis was in three parts: (1) all images combined; (2) images grouped by landscape type, derived from the Environmental Domains of Antarctica regionalization; and (3) 16 pairs of digitally manipulated images of which respondents were shown either an original image or one in which human presence had been either digitally removed or added. Responses to images grouped by landscape type show that coastal and ice-free areas are less valued both aesthetically and as wilderness than mountainous and ice-covered terrains. Signs of human presence were found to make images significantly less likely to be considered as wilderness and also reduced their aesthetic rating. This demonstrates that human impacts on these values are measureable. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Polar Research Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic The Antarctic Polar Research 31 1 10858
institution Open Polar
collection Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
op_collection_id ftdoajarticles
language English
topic Antarctica
Madrid Protocol
wilderness
aesthetic
values
photographs
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Oceanography
GC1-1581
spellingShingle Antarctica
Madrid Protocol
wilderness
aesthetic
values
photographs
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Oceanography
GC1-1581
Rupert Summerson
Ian D. Bishop
The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica
topic_facet Antarctica
Madrid Protocol
wilderness
aesthetic
values
photographs
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Oceanography
GC1-1581
description There has been little progress in implementing protection of wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica since the coming into force of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in 1998. This can in part be attributed to a lack of research defining these values and showing how they may be assessed. In 2009, a survey comprising 90 images of Antarctic landscapes was established on the Internet to canvass as wide a cross-section of people with an interest in Antarctica as possible on their perceptions of wilderness and their aesthetic preference. At the time of writing, over 337 respondents from 23 nationalities have taken part in the survey. Responses were analysed to determine the effect of human presence, both transient and as infrastructure, on perceptions of wilderness and aesthetic values. The analysis was in three parts: (1) all images combined; (2) images grouped by landscape type, derived from the Environmental Domains of Antarctica regionalization; and (3) 16 pairs of digitally manipulated images of which respondents were shown either an original image or one in which human presence had been either digitally removed or added. Responses to images grouped by landscape type show that coastal and ice-free areas are less valued both aesthetically and as wilderness than mountainous and ice-covered terrains. Signs of human presence were found to make images significantly less likely to be considered as wilderness and also reduced their aesthetic rating. This demonstrates that human impacts on these values are measureable.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Rupert Summerson
Ian D. Bishop
author_facet Rupert Summerson
Ian D. Bishop
author_sort Rupert Summerson
title The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica
title_short The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica
title_full The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica
title_fullStr The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica
title_full_unstemmed The impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica
title_sort impact of human activities on wilderness and aesthetic values in antarctica
publisher Norwegian Polar Institute
publishDate 2012
url https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858
https://doaj.org/article/72ae4c39a7d9434ea738bf76ad707e9d
geographic Antarctic
The Antarctic
geographic_facet Antarctic
The Antarctic
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
Polar Research
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
Polar Research
op_source Polar Research, Vol 31, Iss 0, Pp 1-21 (2012)
op_relation http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/10858/pdf_2
https://doaj.org/toc/0800-0395
https://doaj.org/toc/1751-8369
doi:10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858
0800-0395
1751-8369
https://doaj.org/article/72ae4c39a7d9434ea738bf76ad707e9d
op_doi https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.10858
container_title Polar Research
container_volume 31
container_issue 1
container_start_page 10858
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