Ever since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to visit Antarctica in 1911, human exploration of the continent has proliferated at a steady rate. What started as scientific voyages has since evolved into luxury cruises promising to allow tourists to “meet the personal challenge of reaching the earth’s last great wilderness frontier.”
The impact of humans on Antarctica is the focus of a collaboration between UOW’s Global Challenges and iAccelerate. The exhibit brings together visual and physical art pieces, as well as research, in the hope of charting human history on the continent.
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UOW researchers Professor Dianna King and Professor Anna Lewis have emphasised the need to focus on balance and sustainability when regulating what humans can and can’t do on Antarctica.
They claim over-tourism can have a detrimental impact on flora and fauna, it can also increase awareness of the importance of conservation in Antarctica and attract public attention and funding.
