The Peril and Potential of XR-based Interactions with Wildlife

In “Being a Beast”, Charles Foster recounts living with, and as, wildlife (e.g., otters, foxes). These encounters, he contends, forge human-nature connections which have waned, negatively impacting biodiversity conservation. Yet, we need not live amidst beasts to bridge the human-nature gap. Cross-reality (XR) platforms (i.e., virtual and augmented reality) have the unique capacity to facilitate pseudo interactions with, and as, wildlife, connecting audiences to the plight of endangered species. However, XR-based wildlife interaction, I argue, is a double-edged sword whose implementation warrants as much attention in HCI as in environmental science. In this paper I highlight the promise of XR-based wildlife encounters, and discuss dilemmas facing developers tasked with fabricating mediated interactions with wildlife. I critique this approach by outlining how such experiences may negatively affect humans and the survivability of the very species seeking to benefit from them.