Nature-based Tourism and Cryosphere Conservation: Climate, Gaps and Actions

Research Theme Summary

The purpose of the activity is to create a collaborative platform that integrates diverse appraisal methodologies and scientific perspectives to stimulate dialogue, shared understanding, and transformative learning around glacier tourism adaptation under climate change, particularly in vulnerable and under-researched cryospheric regions.

The relevance is strengthening Chile–Sweden research collaboration by shared, creative frameworks comparing northern and southern cryospheric contexts. A game-based approach enables researchers to jointly explore tourism–climate–conservation interactions across contrasting periglacial environments, exchange appraisal traditions, and co-develop transferable adaptation insights relevant to both Andean and sub-Arctic settings.

PIs

Participants

Outcomes

We developed and tested a game-based simulation to address glacier tourism adaptation under climate change through an interdisciplinary and participatory approach. Using an interactive board-game prototype, the activity functioned as a feed-forward exercise that interlinked the diverse appraisal methodologies, expertise, and value frameworks brought by participants. The conceptual process of collectively creating and playing the game served as a shared analytical platform to compare perspectives, explore uncertainties, and negotiate adaptation trade-offs related to glacier retreat. This approach directly supports the proposed discussion by enabling dialogue on tourism–climate change interactions in under-researched southern cryospheric regions, while fostering transformative learning for nature-based tourism, conservation, and policy.

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