From whaling to whale watching: examining sustainability and cultural rhetoric

Cunningham, Paul A.; Huijbens, Edward H.; Wearing, Stephen

doi:10.1080/09669582.2011.632091

Cited by 49 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The urgency of this global crisis contrasts with the slow pace of change in societal awareness and attitudes, and the difficulty in reaching international environmental agreements (Scheffer, Westley, & Brock, 2003;Schleussner et al, 2016). There have, however, been some success stories, such as reductions in CFC emissions and international whale hunting bans (Cunningham, Huijbens, & Wearing, 2012;Parson, 2003) that suggest changes in societal attitudes are not inherently slow. The current environmental crisis results from maladaptive human behaviors (Maloney & Ward, 1973) and requires widespread behavioral changes (IPBES, 2019;Mascia et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural history films raise species awareness—A big data approach

Fernández‐Bellon

Kane

2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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In urbanized societies that are increasingly disconnected from nature, communicating ecological and species awareness is crucial to revert the global environmental crisis. However, our understanding of the effectiveness of this process is limited. We present a framework for describing how such awareness may be transferred and test it on the popular BBC show Planet Earth 2 by analyzing Twitter and Wikipedia big data activity. Despite lacking explicit conservation themes, this show generated species awareness, stimulating audience engagement for information at magnitudes comparable to those achieved by other conservation‐focused campaigns. Results suggest that natural history films can provide vicarious connections to nature and can generate durable shifts in audience awareness beyond the broadcast of the show—key factors for changing environmental attitudes. More broadly, this study underscores how open‐source big data analysis can inform effective dissemination of ecological awareness and provides a framework for future research for investigating behavioral change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural history films raise species awareness—A big data approach

Fernández‐Bellon

Kane

2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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“…Parsons & Rawles, 2003;Cunningham et al, 2012), but there are very few that have examined how whale-watch tourists may react if whaling occurs in their preferred whale-watching destination (Higham & Lusseau, 2007;2008). Previous studies have investigated this issue (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can whale-watching and whaling co-exist? Tourist perceptions in Iceland

Bertulli

Leeney²,

Barreau³

et al. 2014

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

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Both whaling and whale-watching tourism occur in Iceland, but these activities are considered incompatible by many, and previous studies have suggested that whale-watch tourists would boycott whale-watch destinations where whaling takes place. This study assessed the perceptions of and attitudes towards ongoing whaling amongst whale-watch tourists in Iceland. A majority of whale-watching tourists in Iceland did not support whaling and did not think that whale-watching and whaling could exist side by side. However, 31% of respondents were unaware of Iceland's whaling before their visit and most of these indicated that prior knowledge of whaling activities would not have affected their choice of destination. More tourists had tried whale meat than either puffin or guillemot meat, suggesting that whale meat may be more strongly marketed to tourists visiting Iceland. These results suggest that not all tourists would consider boycotting travel to a whaling nation. The whale-watch industry is important to Iceland's economy, but given that the whaling industry can potentially negatively impact upon whale-watching activities, a careful analysis of the compatibility of these two industries is recommended. © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014

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“…Initially, until the late 1970s, this activity was performed mainly on shore, while later whale and dolphin watching from boats became more and more popular [74]. During the 1980s, the whale-watching industry was mainly limited to a few countries, but then it spread worldwide (Fig 3), involving at least 58 cetacean species (S1 Table), increasing exponentially in terms of numbers of tourists involved, creating significant economic and social opportunities [74–78], as an alternative source of livelihood for whaling communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: Changes in perception and use of large marine animals

Mazzoldi

Bearzi²,

Brito

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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Marine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some species have been perceived as competitors of fishers for marine resources and were often actively culled. Since the 1970s, there has been a change in the perception and use of megafauna. The growth of marine tourism, increasingly oriented towards the observation of wildlife, has driven a shift from extractive to non-extractive use, supporting the conservation of at least some species of marine megafauna. In this paper, we review and compare the changes in the perception and use of three megafaunal groups, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers, with a special focus on European cultures. We highlight the main drivers and the timing of these changes, compare different taxonomic groups and species, and highlight the implications for management and conservation. One of the main drivers of the shift in perception, shared by all the three groups of megafauna, has been a general increase in curiosity towards wildlife, stimulated inter alia by documentaries (from the early 1970s onwards), and also promoted by easy access to scuba diving. At the same time, environmental campaigns have been developed to raise public awareness regarding marine wildlife, especially cetaceans, a process greatly facilitated by the rise of Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, all the three groups (cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers) may represent valuable resources for ecotourism. Strikingly, the economic value of live specimens may exceed their value for human consumption. A further change in perception involving all the three groups is related to a growing understanding and appreciation of their key ecological role. The shift from extractive to non-extractive use has the potential for promoting species conservation and local economic growth. However, the change in use may not benefit the original stakeholders (e.g. fishers or whalers) and there may therefore be a case for providing compensation for disadvantaged stakeholders. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that even non-extractive use may have a negative impact on marine megafauna, therefore regulations are needed.

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From whaling to whale watching: examining sustainability and cultural rhetoric

Cited by 49 publications

References 62 publications

Natural history films raise species awareness—A big data approach

Natural history films raise species awareness—A big data approach

Can whale-watching and whaling co-exist? Tourist perceptions in Iceland

From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: Changes in perception and use of large marine animals

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