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This article proposes a working definition for the term 'lost wilderness tourist' and uses this definition to examine lost wilderness tourist events through the lenses of tourism literature, lost person behaviour literature, search and rescue literature and wilderness tourists in Australia. A tool was developed using existing literature to recruit self-identifying lost wilderness tourists. Firstperson stories were collected through open ended, one-on-one qualitative interviews. Interview data were analysed using 3-step coding. The findings propose a definition for the term 'lost wilderness tourist', establish that lost wilderness tourist events can be categorised as 'disorientated' or 'stuck' and that these 2 meta categories can be further divided into subcategories. The findings offer insights into the lived experiences of lost wilderness tourists. These insights are useful for anyone with an interest in lost wilderness events and the safety of people in Australia's wilderness areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the introduction, Neale and Vincent argue that in the five years to 2016 the tendency to equate Indigenous and "green" politics has undergone an inversion of sorts. Given the apparent incommensurability of Indigenous and Green agendas and numerous contemporary instances of successful Indigenous-Green alliances, the book begins by asking, how we make sense of these simultaneous changes? However, the highlight of the collection is Vincent's exploration in chapter seven of "Aboriginal greenie" positionalities at the Yumbarra Conservation Park in South Australia. [Extracted from the article]

Commonly, invaders have different impacts in different places. The spread of cane toads ( Rhinella marina: Bufonidae) has been devastating for native fauna in tropical Australia, but the toads' impact remains unstudied in temperate-zone Australia. We surveyed habitat characteristics and fauna in campgrounds along the central eastern coast of Australia, in eight sites that have been colonized by cane toads and another eight that have not. The presence of cane toads was associated with lower faunal abundance and species richness, and a difference in species composition. Populations of three species of large lizards (land mullets Bellatorias major, eastern water dragons Intellagama lesueurii, and lace monitors Varanus varius) and a snake (red-bellied blacksnake Pseudechis porphyriacus) were lower (by 84 to 100%) in areas with toads. The scarcity of scavenging lace monitors in toad-invaded areas translated into a 52% decrease in rates of carrion removal (based on camera traps at bait stations) and an increase (by 61%) in numbers of brush turkeys ( Alectura lathami). The invasion of cane toads through temperate-zone Australia appears to have reduced populations of at least four anurophagous predators, facilitated other taxa, and decreased rates of scavenging. Our data identify a paradox: The impacts of cane toads are at least as devastating in southern Australia as in the tropics, yet we know far more about toad invasion in the sparsely populated wilderness areas of tropical Australia than in the densely populated southeastern seaboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is 30 years since the Australian environmental movement enlisted the term "wilderness" to protect Tasmania's remote Franklin River from hydroelectric development. Environmentalists deployed "wilderness" strategically during the conflict to build public support for their no-dam campaign, aided by national and international media who used the term liberally, while Tasmanian news media and pro-development elites acknowledged the term's inherent political qualities by suppressing its use. Our interest is in the political and media framing of "wilderness" since the concept was "branded" by government and industry at the turn of the twenty-first century. Drawing on continuing environmental conflict over Tasmania's remote Tarkine region as a case study, we ask to what extent media portrayals of "wilderness" have changed since the Franklin dam was stopped and the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness Area was created in 1982. Using content analysis of related articles in the local media and qualitative analysis of international travel journalism about Tasmania published over an extended period, we find that place branding has contributed to the routinization of "wilderness" and to a shift in the focus of mediated conflict from "wilderness" to "tourism." The Tasmanian experience demonstrates that while the actions of the environmental movement can valorize place, branding can depoliticize contested natural areas. Yet brands that incorporate or allude to "wilderness" may have the unanticipated consequence of valorizing "wilderness" transnationally, in a manner that the environmental movement would struggle to emulate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of camping in the bush or the wilderness in Australia.

Abstract: Indigenous Australians have often been described as highly mobile people, particularly in historical and remote ‘wilderness’ contexts. To date though, very little research has examined the relationship between Indigenous temporary mobilities and formal education systems, which assume and require ‘settled’ residency practice. This paper situates one such analysis in the northern tourist town of Broome, Western Australia. It draws on both qualitative and quantitative data from educators and schools in and around the town to paint a detailed picture of Indigenous temporary mobilities as they relate to the formal school sector. It demonstrates that Indigenous temporary mobilities, though largely invisible to policy makers, occur frequently and require more intentional and informed responses. The paper concludes by discussing some locally practiced and/or imagined responses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In January 2004, the Australian Government introduced a new federal heritage regime based around the National Heritage List (NHL). This regime has a significant governance defect; the heritage minister controls the list rather than an independent heritage body, exposing it to political manipulation. This article reviews the NHL listing process and compares it to a ‘best practice’ model. A case study on the Tarkine, a wilderness area in north-west Tasmania, demonstrates how the NHL has been managed and the influence political factors have had on its administration. The case study reveals that the concerns about the politicisation of the NHL are well-founded and that changes ought to be made to ensure the regime fulfils its objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fallen timber is widely considered to be a key element of ecosystem structure and function that is critical to maintenance of biodiversity. This concept is closely linked to ideas of wilderness and old growth. ‘Conventional wisdom’ is that fallen timber has been drastically depleted from natural levels by human activity. However natural conditions reflect interactions of Aborigines with their environment, and fallen timber as well as broadcast fire was critically important to Aboriginal economies in the New World and Australia. Quantitative historical data are not available, so it is necessary to use qualitative historical information to describe natural loads and dynamics of fallen timber. A comparison against detailed historical descriptions of woodlands under Aboriginal management in Australia indicates that benchmarks from ‘undisturbed’ examples of the same types of vegetation are generally inflated. The ecological history of grassy woodlands since European settlement shows that proposed ‘restoration’ measures will favour common and widespread biota at the expense of rare and endangered species. No correlation of biodiversity with fallen timber has been demonstrated for grassy eucalypt ecosystems. Globally, conservation strategies that minimize human activity have generally failed because resilience of ecosystems and ancient trees has been reduced and rare species have been lost. The concept of wilderness has little application outside the unpeopled continent of Antarctica. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Grose River is contained almost entirely within a World Heritage Area. While sewage pollution in the area has been addressed, pollution at damaging levels continues from a disused coal mine, closed in 1997. Despite some surface rehabilitation, no action has occurred to remediate zinc polluted waters emanating from the mine. We examine the historical regulation and management of the Australian Commonwealth and New South Wales governments and highlight gaps in both regulatory systems. We conclude that there is an urgent need to improve regulation of water pollution, mining and management of the environment in highly valued world heritage areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Most approaches to conservation prioritization are focused on biodiversity features that are already threatened. While this is necessary in the face of accelerating anthropogenic threats, there have been calls to conserve large intact landscapes, often termed ‘wilderness’, to ensure the long-term persistence of biodiversity. In this study, we examine the consequences of directing conservation expenditure using a threat-based framework for wilderness conservation. Location The Australian continent. Methods We measured the degree of congruence between the extent of wilderness and the Australian protected area network in 2000 and 2006, which was established using a threat-based systematic planning framework. We also assessed priority areas for future reserve acquisitions identified by the Australian government under the current framework. Results In 2000, 14% of Australia’s wilderness was under formal protection, while the protected area network covered only 8.5% of the continent, suggesting a historical bias towards wilderness protection. However, the expansion of the reserve system from 2000 to 2006 was biased towards non-wilderness areas. Moreover, 90% of the wilderness that was protected over this period comprised areas not primarily designated for biodiversity conservation. We found a significant ( P < 0.05) negative relationship between bioregions considered to be a priority for future reserve prioritization and the amount of wilderness they contain. Main conclusions While there is an urgent need to overcome past biases in reserve network design so as to better protect poorly represented species and habitats, prioritization approaches should not become so reactive as to ignore the role that large, intact landscapes play in conserving biodiversity, especially in a time of human-induced climate change. This can be achieved by using current or future threats rather than past threats to prioritize areas, and by incorporating key ecological processes and costs of acquisition and management within the planning framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to identify the distinctive elements of wilderness settings that contribute to triggering peak experiences. Thirty-nine participants who had visited wilderness areas were recruited using a voluntary wilderness registration system operated by the Victorian National Parks Service, Australia. Using a postal survey, participants were asked to provide a written response to an open-ended question requesting them to describe, in their own words, a peak experience in the wilderness. A conventional approach to qualitative content analysis of the participants' descriptions revealed that the aesthetic qualities of the wilderness setting and being away from the pressures, people, distractions, and concerns of the human-made world were key elements in their peak experiences. To gain an understanding of this phenomenon, the concept and theory of restorative environments was applied to the participants' experiences. This analysis indicates that wilderness settings provide a mix of aesthetic pleasure and renewal that can lead to a triggering of peak experiences that provides the basis for individual spiritual expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powerful institutions in Australia regularly depict the continent as overrun with fauna variously described as 'feral', 'vermin', 'alien' and 'invasive'. This paper addresses the issue of 'animal matter out of place' through the ethnographic analysis of a long-running conflict over 'feral' ponies in Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia. As the Department of Environment and Heritage manoeuvred to eliminate this 'alien' presence from the 'pristine' landscape of the Coffin Bay Peninsula, local residents argued that the herd was a product of this ecological niche and should remain in its 'natural' home. The trajectory of the conflict suggests that the expansion of environmental governance from centre to periphery is by no means as predictable and inevitable as is often anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay presents the author's opinions regarding the presence of fruit bats in Australia's botanical gardens. Botanical gardens are different from both suburban lawns and wilderness areas, and are usually found in urban areas. Botanical gardens in Europe had their origins in private and public herb and medicinal gardens; in the collection and cultivation of exotic species for enjoyment and profit; and as urban recreational parks with special buildings for the cultivation of climatically sensitive exotics. While there had never been fruit bats of the size of those encountered in, for instance, Australia and the South Pacific, smaller insectivorous and blossom bats were quite familiar. The European settlers brought with them a rich tradition of bat lore that had little to do with natural history. While vampire bats were not found in either Europe, Australia, or the South Pacific, they were a fundamental part of European folk belief. In 2001, a colony of flying foxes took up residence in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens in Australia.

Kosciuszko National Park (KNP) is a major tourist attraction for Australians, featuring the highest mountain on the Australian main- land (Mount Kosciuszko) and including popular ski resorts and wilderness. The region adjoining KNP includes townships with a total population of some 25,000 people, whose economic welfare is increasingly affected by tourism to KNP. This paper reports research that surveyed expenditure by visitors to KNP, which injects new activity into the adjoining regional economy. The paper uses the first round of an input-output process to model the impacts of such expenditure on the region, and also develops a spreadsheet model for allocating visitor expenditure between businesses within the park and businesses within the adjoining regional economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between the contested domains of Aboriginal traditional owners and non-Aboriginal Park users, specifically bushwalkers, in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia. It argues that Kakadu remains a cultural borderland where a negotiated relationship between local Aboriginal traditional owners and non-Aboriginal Park users is struggling to emerge. It finds that the rhetoric of Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal co-existence, which pervades the Park, is infused by the legacy of a colonial settler state, which has presumed access to territory, marginalized Indigenous people and obviated their social and cultural landscape in favour of an expansionist aesthetic of wilderness preservation and appreciation. This paper finds that the activities of bushwalkers and the concerns that these activities generate in the local Aboriginal domain produce a novel space where place is contested and transformed, a space of negotiation and resistance where people's cherished values both compete with and influence one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wilderness conservation has a checkered history in Australian politics. Initially, wilderness was protected in national parks, and specific areas or legislation did not exist. In the 1960s, wilderness conservation became an important issue in Australian politics. Pressure from environmental groups and the general public created several conflicts. Several successes were scored by the joint efforts of interest groups, the public, charismatic individuals, the media, and support of governments and politicians. A number of areas were declared wilderness areas and several states now have wilderness protected through legislation. The 1990s have not been as good as the previous decades for wilderness. Large forest areas are still being cleared and bias toward consumptive use of forest by governments is emerging. Clearly, wilderness protection in Australia is intensely political. It is important that interest groups maintain pressure to protect future wilderness. Efforts to obtain national legislation for wilderness and to couch wilderness in terms of other aspects such as biodiversity and ecosystems values may prove necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on issues and controversies on the concept of wilderness in Australian environmental and land management policy. Compilation of a national inventory of wilderness; Implications of the decision to close down the wilderness component of Environment Australia; Recreation as secondary to the conservation purpose of the parks; Importance of the trend to commercial tourism.

Focuses on the Australian debate surrounding the concept of wilderness. Aboriginal ideals and values regarding resources and their use; Wilderness aesthetic consistent with the heritage and liberal democratic project of aboriginal peoples.