Mission Creep: The Dynamics of Nature and Surveillance
This article, published in Society & Animals, looks at the dynamics of surveillance and nature, examining how humans watch nature and use nature to watch each other, stating that nature is “now positioned as a target, agent, resource, and model for surveillance practices.” The authors note that surveillance of the natural/animal world has had both educational and entertainment functions, teaching us about the movements and behaviors of animals and fascinating us in the process. They also describe numerous ways that scientists have forcibly modified nature and animals to act as surveillance mechanisms (as Faunalytics has covered before.) Touching on everything from electronic tagging of endangered species, webcam views of habitats and groups of animals, the modification of insects and other animals to act as drones, and more, the authors explain how nature has been a subject and an agent of human surveillance.
There is no doubt that many animal advocates are probably unaware of some of the types of surveillance described in this study. Beyond simply informing themselves, advocates may find numerous avenues of further exploration here. The surveillance discussed is often tied in with vivisection, the military use of animals, captivity, and other issues that advocates regularly engage in. Though the article is theoretically grounded, there are many ways that the information it contains can be employed in practical, on the ground activism.