Wildlife Resources, Habitats and Ecosystems for Visitors’ Experiential Learning: Educative Wildlife Tourism in the Australian Context

Abstract

The aim of this chapter on Australian wildlife and tourism is manifold. It discusses the major existing elements necessary for consolidating an educative wildlife tourism within an experiential learning perspective for the visitors by considering some aspects of Kolb's theory. The chapter is concerned with ecological and biological resources, and related phenomena, that are relevant for a meaningful environmental interpretation and education; one of the foundations for an educative tourism together with conservation. The chapter begins by presenting the current protected areas in Australia and their relevance as natural settings and habitats for wild animals and tourism. The discussion continues by critically appraising the role of rangers in managing protected areas, natural resources and visitors. The role of rangers and guides in Parks is fundamental for enhancing visitors' experiences and understanding of natural and cultural settings, landscapes, wildlife, and ecosystems. Rangers also play an important role in promoting visitor education as a way of mitigating possible negative impacts in sensitive natural areas. Yet, the chapter outlines the most popular wild animals by providing a comprehensive description of koalas, kangaroos and Tasmanian devils. The biofacts, physical characteristics, behaviour and pertinent ecological aspects are presented to demonstrate how rich and important wildlife is for tourism, especially for an educative learning tourism that can contribute to connect humans to nature in many ways. The chapter was written based on the outcomes of post-doctoral research qualitatively oriented, based on the pertinent literature, active and observant participation, and on the analysis of websites and documents. Considering a relative paucity of publication on educative wildlife tourism, the chapter seeks to fill some gaps in the literature and to advance the debates on the importance of conservation and protection of wildlife resources within an environmental science perspective.