This presentation will discuss how the findings from a doctoral study examining the appeal of charismatic mega-fauna (i.e., polar bears) conducted in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo provided the foundations for examining wildlife tourism in general and understanding human-wildlife conflicts in various contexts. The presentation concludes by highlighting the rise of charismatic micro-fauna (e.g., bees, butterflies, fireflies) in leisure and tourism studies.
About the speaker
Dr. Raynald Harvey Lemelin is a Professor with the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism (ORPT) at Lakehead University (LU), and the LU representative on the Interim Management Board for the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. Dr. Lemelin’s extensive research on national parks and protected areas, wildlife and battlefield tourism, and last chance tourism has been published in top-tiered journals across tourism, leisure, and interdisciplinary fields. Dr. Lemelin completed his PhD in Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo in 2004. He has been teaching at the School of ORPT at LU since 2004.