Whale sharks, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Wicked problems, such as the damage industry inflicts on our environment, expose our society to vulnerabilities, and in some situations may prevent future generations from using those resources. How to manage natural resources in a way that balances current and future use and prevents or minimises damage is an issue grappled with around the globe. Recently, Kennedy (2016: 354) pointed out that wicked problems persist due to “institutionalised behavioural norms, which reflect society’s value and belief systems.” For example, this might take the form of opportunistic behaviours enacting the idea that one can take or use the environment as much as one wishes without thought for the balance of the ecosystem or the needs of others in the present or future. To resolve complex wicked problems such as this, a ‘macro-social marketing’ perspective is suggested (Kennedy 2016; Kennedy and Parsons 2011). ‘Macro’ means to take an over¬all perspective, in this context one that involves analysing a social marketing issue from a societal level. In order to do this macro-social marketing argues for systems thinking. Systems-thinking is complex and some of the issues it requires one to think of are: the numerous individuals and entities involved in the situation; their resources; their interac¬tions with the environment and one another; the particularities of the issue studied; the history and the environmental context. This may seem like an overwhelming task, however the best way to avoid feeling like this is to take the first step and clearly define your unit of analysis, i.e. the issue. We will apply a systems perspective to think through a complex wicked problem surrounding the management of a tourism industry that is reliant on whale sharks in Western Australia. Whale sharks are what is known as a common pool resource (CPR) and confront unique challenges which we will discuss in what follows. The whale shark tourism industry faces a complex wicked problem, i.e. how can they conduct their industry in a way that preserves the fragile natural environment it is reliant upon without damaging this and preventing their own future prosperity?