Whale Watching as Ecotourism: How Sustainable is it?

Wearing, Stephen; Cunningham, Paul A.; Schweinsberg, Stephen; Jobberns, Chantelle

doi:10.5130/ccs.v6i1.3714

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Potential negative impacts of whale watching activities have been reported to be derived from disturbance reasons, with consequent stress index increases and behavioral changes (Magalhaes et al, 1999;Erbe, 2002;Lusseau, 2006;Richter et al, 2006;Visser et al, 2011;Parsons, 2012;New et al, 2015). At the same time, it has been demonstrated that whale-watching can be an effective tool to raise awareness about species conservation issues and to educate tourists on cetaceans' ecology and threats, especially when the tourist experience is enriched by good environmental education (Lien, 2001;Lück, 2003;Stamation et al, 2007;Wearing et al, 2014;García-Cegarra and Pacheco, 2017;La Manna et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whale Watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary: Status and Quality Assessment

Tepsich

Borroni

Zorgno³

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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In 2001 Italy, France, and Principality of Monaco instituted a protected area for marine mammals in northwestern Mediterranean Sea, named the Pelagos Sanctuary. The agreement foresees the commitment by signing parties to manage human activities in the area, with a special mention to whale watching. Whale watching is a form of wildlife tourism which has considerably grown in the last decades. Understanding the profile of whale watchers and their satisfaction toward the activity, is the first step toward a sustainable and effective management of this touristic activity. In this work we provide the first analysis of the whale watching activity in the Pelagos Sanctuary, focusing on commercial whale watching tours departing from Italian harbors in Liguria. We provide a census of the activity and the results of close-ended questionnaires filled by whale watchers during trips in summer 2016 and 2017. The aim of the questionnaires was to understand the level of awareness of experienced and new whale watchers regarding the Pelagos Sanctuary and some conservation initiative going on in the area. Finally, we analyzed the satisfaction level, with the aim of evidencing weakness and strengths of the service offered. Our results evidence a growth in the activity in the last 15 years, with a wider differentiation of offers and impacting a larger area than previously found. Whale watchers in the area come from a variety of countries, demonstrating the importance of the Pelagos as a hot spot for this activity. A high level of satisfaction has been evidenced, with no difference among new and experienced whale watchers. At the same time, more effort is needed to increase awareness of Pelagos and its conservation initiative both at a national and international level. This study provides useful information for the start of an effective management of whale watching in this protected area.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whale Watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary: Status and Quality Assessment

Tepsich

Borroni

Zorgno³

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…A starting point for considering Important Marine Mammals Areas (IMMA) criteria to protect single species or a combination of species are [267] In the pelagic realm frequented by cetaceans, it is likely that at least in some instances site-based conservation approaches are not going to be sufficient, or even suitable [267]. However, IMMAs, being a new development, provide an opportunity to explore how static notions of MPAs can merge with more flexible modern management interventions, supporting 'dynamic ocean management' [268,269]. Various data streams, such as from tracking and remote sensing technologies, could conceivably be fused together to support near realtime decision-making on where a given IMMA is and in which direction it is headed [267].…”

Section: Marine Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cetaceans Value and Conservation in the Mediterranean Sea

Pace¹,

Tizzi²,

Mussi³

2013

J Biodivers Endanger Species

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This review provides an overview of the Mediterranean diversity and conservation status of cetaceans, and the value associated with their conservation and non-consumptive use. Mediterranean Sea is one of the world's diversity hotspots. Its biodiversity is increasingly under threat in the whole region and key species as cetaceans challenge for conservation. All the identified threats are interlinked and cumulatively contribute to the habitat degradation of the entire area as well as reduced health status of the cetaceans that live there. Whales and dolphins, defined as charismatic megafauna, flag species, apex predators and bio indicators of the marine environment health are demanding social substantial changes. Needs are for spatial prioritization within a comprehensive framework for regional conservation planning, the acquisition of additional information identifying critical habitats in data-poor areas and for data deficient species, and addressing the challenges of establishing transboundary governance and collaboration in socially, culturally and politically complex conditions. This paper examines research gaps, questions and issues (population abundance estimates, as well as the biological, ecological, physiological characteristics) surrounding cetacean species in the context of biodiversity conservation and highlights the need of targeted conservation management actions to reduce sources of disturb of key threatening processes in the Mediterranean Sea. The 'precautionary principle' must be adopted at all levels in attempts to mitigate impacts and thus provides scope for the translation of the principle into operational measures. As natural entities, cetaceans have their objective intrinsic value, not humanly conferred.

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“…Whale watching has become a significant sector of the nature-based tourism industry (Higginbottom, 2004). Commercial whale watching started in the 1980s and is categorized as an ecotourism activity because it can be ecologically sustainable while simultaneously fostering cultural and environmental appreciation for the marine environment (O'Connor et al, 2009;Wearing et al, 2014). Whale watching is considered a viable alternative to whaling (Einarsson, 2009;Cunningham et al, 2012), as it also supports coastal communities and offers them a sense of identity and pride (Hoyt, 2001;Rossing, 2006;Hoyt and Iñíguez, 2008;Peake et al, 2009;Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2010;Schwoerer et al, 2016;Guidino et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tourist Knowledge, Pro-Conservation Intentions, and Tourist Concern for the Impacts of Whale-Watching in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama

et al. 2021

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Whale watching has become an important economic activity for many coastal areas where whales aggregate at certain times of year. Las Perlas Archipelago in Panama is a breeding ground for humpback whales, where the numbers of both visitors and tour operators have increased in recent years with little compliance and enforcement of regulations. Nevertheless, there is potential to improve whale-watching management at this site and its use as a tool for education and conservation awareness. Our objective was to assess tourist knowledge, perceptions and pro-conservation attitudes related to whale watching and how this activity is managed in Las Perlas. One hundred and eleven tourists were surveyed in the summer of 2019 after they participated in whale−watching tours. Overall, respondents had little knowledge about whales and their conservation before a whale-watching trip. However, after the excursion, tourists felt they had learned more about whale biology and the regulations for whale-watching. Trip satisfaction after whale-watching activities was higher when whale behaviors, including breaching and tail slaps, were observed. Respondents expressed low satisfaction when there was an excessive number of boats around a whale-sighting. Concern for lack of compliance seemed to be associated with whale-watching operations that onboard tour guides. This study highlights the importance of whale watching as a tool for promoting whale conservation through education and the need to improve the enforcement of existing regulations and visitor monitoring to reduce potential negative impacts of whale-watching.

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Whale Watching as Ecotourism: How Sustainable is it?

Cited by 16 publications

References 47 publications

Whale Watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary: Status and Quality Assessment

Whale Watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary: Status and Quality Assessment

Cetaceans Value and Conservation in the Mediterranean Sea

Tourist Knowledge, Pro-Conservation Intentions, and Tourist Concern for the Impacts of Whale-Watching in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama

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