Conservation tourism and the citizen scientist

Abstract

This paper shares findings from an ongoing ethnography of an Australian conservation organisation that manages volunteers in a number of settings. It explores a program of volunteer tourism operated in a single publically owned park and draws on the idea of citizen science to conceptualise the tourists’ activities there. Initial findings suggest that this citizen research is seen as relatively effective by management, employees and volunteers (tourists) alike, though a number of challenges have been identified, not least associated with differing perceptions and expectations of the tour ‘breaks’ offered by the organisation.