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College of Natural Resources
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

PRTM Seminar Series: A Transformative Journey to the Antarctic Peninsula

November 16, 2020
Yu-Fai Leung on Antarctic Peninsula - PRTM Seminar Series: A Transformative Journey to the Antarctic Peninsula - Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at NC State University

National parks and other protected areas play a vital role in the conservation of wildlife and natural resources, while providing opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature. But many of these areas are under increasing pressure from development, invasive species, tourism and other threats.

Dr. Yu-Fai Leung, a professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at NC State’s College of Natural Resources, is working to safeguard these special places. Leung traveled to the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica last December, as an international member of the Ecuadorian Antarctic Expedition. During his three-week stay at the Greenwich Island Base, Yu-Fai collaborated with Ecuadorian and Spanish colleagues in assessing tourist effects on penguin behavior and the effectiveness of Antarctic Visitor Guidelines.

In this month’s PRTM Seminar Series, Leung will highlight the journey, research activities, expedition life and share reflections on this transformative experience that continues to inform his work.

PRTM Seminar Series: A Transformative Journey to the Antarctic Peninsula with Dr. Yu-Fai Leung
Friday, November 20, 2020 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST | Join us via Zoom
Meeting ID: 928 0307 2773 | Passcode: 890184

Recognized internationally for his studies on sustainable visitor management, Leung’s research examines visitation patterns and degradation of natural resources in parks and protected areas, conditions of recreation infrastructure, habitat fragmentation by trail proliferation, and visitor‐wildlife interactions.

Leung, who was recently named the recipient of the 2020 Individual Service Award from the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals, said the resulting knowledge and tools ultimately help park managers and decision-makers plan and implement sustainable management practices effectively. Some of these tools have even been applied by local communities or visitors themselves to contribute timely monitoring data to parks while also learning why visitor impacts matter.

Commercial tourism in Antarctica began in the 1960s when the Swedish entrepreneur, Lars-Eric Lindblad, started taking fare-paying passengers to the continent. Now as many as 56,000 people visit the continent on sightseeing expeditions. Leung is currently working with researchers from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid to further document the effects of human activity on penguins.