From Presence to Problem Visibility, Uncertainty, and Wildlife Monitoring in Denmark
Author
Zajac, Kira Nørgaard
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Abstract
This thesis examines how the European grey wolf’s return to Denmark is shaped by monitoring systems that both reveal and conceal the animal’s presence. Drawing on Science and Technology Studies (STS)—the study of how science and technology influence society—the project traces how the wolf’s elusive presence moves through three connected processes: encounters (sightings and tracks), registration (entry into databases and reports), and circulation (sharing across media and institutions). The study uses a mix of methods: digital ethnography and media mapping, document analysis, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, an exploratory survey, and reflexive thematic analysis (a way to identify patterns while reflecting on the researcher’s role). The analysis shows that the wolf appears not only as a biological organism but also as a socio-technical object produced through monitoring technologies, institutional practices, and public communication. The thesis develops the concept of Strategic Opacity to describe how practices intended to protect wolves also shape the conditions under which they become publicly knowable. These measures support ecological protection but create gaps between expert monitoring and public understandings of where and how wolves are present. To capture this tension, the thesis introduces the Restoration Paradox: Denmark has restored the wolf ecologically faster than it has restored the social conditions through which the species is understood, interpreted, and accepted.
Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan den europæiske gråulvs tilbagevenden til Danmark formes af overvågningssystemer, der på én gang gør ulven synlig og usynlig. Med udgangspunkt i Science and Technology Studies (STS) – studiet af, hvordan videnskab og teknologi påvirker samfundet – følger projektet, hvordan ulvens sværttilgængelige tilstedeværelse bevæger sig gennem tre sammenhængende processer: møder (observationer og spor), registrering (indtastning i databaser og rapporter) og cirkulation (deling i medier og institutioner). Studiet bruger en kombination af metoder: digital etnografi og mediekortlægning, dokumentanalyse, semistrukturerede interviews, deltagerobservation, en eksplorativ spørgeskemaundersøgelse og refleksiv tematisk analyse (en metode til at finde mønstre, hvor forskeren aktivt reflekterer over sin rolle). Analysen viser, at ulven ikke kun fremtræder som et biologisk dyr, men også som et socio-teknisk objekt, der bliver til gennem overvågningsteknologier, institutionelle praksisser og offentlig kommunikation. Afhandlingen udvikler begrebet Strategisk Opacitet for at beskrive, hvordan praksisser, der skal beskytte ulve, samtidig former de betingelser, hvorunder ulvens tilstedeværelse bliver offentlig kendt. Tiltagene styrker den økologiske beskyttelse, men skaber også afstand mellem den faglige overvågning og den brede befolknings forståelse af, hvor og hvordan ulve er til stede. For at indfange denne spænding introduceres Genopretningsparadokset: Danmark har genoprettet ulven økologisk hurtigere, end de sociale forhold er genoprettet, som gør det muligt at forstå, fortolke og acceptere arten.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords