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

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Cárdenas ◽  
María Virginia Gabela-Flores ◽  
Arielle Amrein ◽  
Katie Surrey ◽  
Leah R. Gerber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Breeding Ground ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
Tour Guides ◽  
Conservation Attitudes ◽  
Conservation Awareness ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Excessive Number

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.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Queensland: behaviour and responses to whale-watching vessels

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 1290-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Corkeron
Keyword(s):  
Multidimensional Scaling ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Breeding Ground ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Continuous Sampling ◽  
Commercial Use ◽  
Hybrid Multidimensional Scaling

The effects of the presence of vessels on the behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) was studied in Hervey Bay, Queensland, where southward-migrating whales are the focus of a commercial whale-watching industry. The behaviour of whales was observed from a small yacht under sail. Rates of occurrence of units of behaviour for entire pods were obtained from continuous sampling of pods. Pods without calves showed lower rates of behaviour generally when vessels were within 300 m of them. Pods both with and without calves were more likely to dive rather than slip under when vessels were within 300 m. Hybrid multidimensional scaling of rates of behaviours of pods indicated differences between suites of behaviours exhibited by pods when vessels were within 300 m of them and when they were not. Classification of the patterns of occurrence of behaviours demonstrated that for pods both with and without calves, different units of behaviour tended to occur together when vessels were within 300 m and when they were not. Whale watching offers a nonlethal commercial use of whales, but in Hervey Bay, whale watching affects the behaviour of whales, which, although migrating, can be involved in breeding ground activities. Whether the short-term behavioural changes described here are accompanied by longer term avoidance of Hervey Bay by humpback whales as they migrate south remains to be determined.

scholarly journals A decade of whale watching in an important tourist desitination in the Pacific coast of Colombia: Challenges for proper management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Cristina Avila ◽  
Luis Fernando Ortega ◽  
Cristina Pretel ◽  
Gustavo Mayor
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Local People ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Ticket Prices ◽  
And Control

Uramba Bahía Málaga Natural National Park is one of the most important places visited by tourists to see humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Colombia. Humpback whales arrive from Southern Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula every year between May and December to reproduce, give birth and rear calves. To evaluate the current state of whale-watching in Málaga we analyzed tourist visitation data from 2011 to 2019 during the peak whale-watching season (July–October), and during one week in October 2020. We found that whale-watching activity has increased considerably. In 2019, 21,186 tourists realized whale watching in Málaga. Whale watchers per month increased by 108% and monthly whale-watching boat trips increased by 140%, in the last decade. Currently there are in average 19 boat trips per day (±18.0), and most boats are small (≤15 m). Tourists came mainly from Colombia (90%). August was the most important month for whale watching. Although environmental education activities are undertaken, currently responsible whale-watching guidelines are overlooked. At present, whale-watching activity produces important economic benefits for local people and neighboring sites, with a monthly expenditure of at least $362,409 USD, but to ensure the sustainable continuity of this activity, negative impacts on whales need to be minimized. We classified management challenges into social, economic and biological aspects. From a social perspective, operators should form a whale-watching community association; this would improve cooperation amongst operators, promote good practices in whale-watching and reduce pressure on whales. Economic recommendations include 1) whale-watching trips handled mainly by local people; 2) ticket prices unification; and 3) investment in tourist facilities. Biological recommendations focus on the welfare of whales and include: 1) follow the current whalewatching recommendations strictly; 2) reduce transit speeds to below 10 knots in the area during whale season; 3) use propeller guards; 4) promote land-based whale watching; 5) implement acoustic whale tourism; 6) reinforce environmental education programs; and 7) support long-term monitoring and scientific research. Based on these three aspects, we urge environmental and ethnic authorities, conferring with relevant stakeholders, to determine the whale-watching carrying capacity of the area and to promote a responsible tourism. Authorities need to strengthen the monitoring, oversight and control of this growing tourist activity in order to ensure its long-term persistence.

scholarly journals Energetic Effects of Whale-Watching Boats on Humpback Whales on a Breeding Ground

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damian Villagra ◽  
Ana García-Cegarra ◽  
Diego I. Gallardo ◽  
Aldo S. Pacheco
Keyword(s):  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Finite Energy ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Energetic Efficiency ◽  
Breeding Ground ◽  
Energetic Metabolism ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
Cost Of Transport ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
Breeding Grounds

Interactions between whale-watching boats and cetaceans can lead to changes in their behavior. From a management perspective, it is important to understand how this type of disturbance can be translated into physiological effects, such as changes in their energetic metabolism. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) typically do not feed while in breeding grounds, thus they depend on finite energy reserves. The effect of whale-watching boats on the energetic metabolism of humpback whales, in the breeding ground of northern Peru (4°10′35″S, 81°08′03″W) was evaluated. Groups of humpback whales were tracked from land, under the following scenarios: with, without, and before-during-after the presence of whale-watching boats. Mass-specific cost of transport (COT) was used as a proxy of energetic efficiency and calculated from swimming speed and breath frequency estimations. No differences were detected in breath frequency, swimming speed, and COT when comparing whales with and without boats. However, in the presence of boats, swim speed increased, and COT decreased as the number of boats increased. Exponential increment in breathing frequency at higher swimming speed was not detected. The absence of swimming speeds beyond the assumed optimal range suggested no shifts into metabolic inefficiency. Our results suggest optimal swimming speed between 2 and 4.05 m/s, representing COT values between 0.020 and 0.041 J × (kg × m)–1. In light of our results, we encourage the implementation of regulations of the activity, particularly limiting the number of boats interacting with the same group of humpback whales.

scholarly journals Mangroves and coastal topography create economic “safe havens” from tropical storms

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob P. Hochard ◽  
Edward B. Barbier ◽  
Stuart E. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Indirect Exposure ◽  
Coastal Topography

AbstractEvidence suggests that mangroves protect economic activity in coastal areas. We estimate this protection from mangroves and coastal elevation globally, examining both “direct” and “indirect” exposure events (< 100 km vs. ≥ 100 km distance from a cyclone’s “eye”, respectively). We find that higher elevation (≥ 50 m) or wide mangroves (≥ 10 m seaward width) alone shelter economic activity from indirect cyclone exposure, whereas protection from direct cyclone exposure occurs only in high elevation communities with wide mangroves. Our results reveal that the majority of these “safe havens” are in upper middle-income countries but provide significant benefits to populations in lower middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Behavior of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae): comparisons between two coastal areas of Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana G. Lunardi ◽  
Márcia H. Engel ◽  
Regina H. F. Macedo
Keyword(s):  
Group Composition ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
The State ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Behavior Patterns ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Behavioral Differences

Behavior of humpback whales was observed during the reproductive period off the northern coast of the state of Bahia (NB, n = 378 groups) and at the Abrolhos Bank (AB, n = 919) to compare patterns and group composition between the two locations. Alone individuals and dyads were most often encountered in both areas, although mother-calf pairs were more common in AB. While these two regions comprise distinct concentrations of humpback whales, with intrinsic environmental differences, behavior patterns were quite similar. The only behavioral differences found where for "tail up" and "resting". The patterns found here may reflect differences in the protection status of the areas or intrinsic environmental differences.

scholarly journals Impacts of Salinity Intrusion in Community Health: A Review of Experiences on Drinking Water Sodium from Coastal Areas of Bangladesh

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mashura Shammi ◽  
Md. Rahman ◽  
Serene Bondad ◽  
Md. Bodrud-Doza
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Salt Intake ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sodium Intake ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Salinity Intrusion ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Negative Impacts

Increasing salt intake has substantial negative impacts on human health and well-being. This article focused on the construction of Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework for drinking water sodium (DWS) followed by a review on the published studies regarding salinity intrusion, DWS, and their effects on health perspectives in Bangladesh. Saline water is an important factor for hypertension or high blood pressure in the coastal areas. DWS can also lead women, especially pregnant women, to an increased risk of (pre)eclampsia, hypertension, as well as infant mortality. Several interventions, such as rainwater harvesting, pond sand filter (PSF) system, managed aquifer recharge (MAR), and pilot scale solar-powered desalination plants, such as reverse osmosis (RO), were reviewed on the context of their effectiveness in controlling drinking water sodium. Although rainwater consumption has the positive impact of low or no sodium intake, it still possesses negative impacts from not having vital minerals. A steady increment in sodium concentration through the span of the dry season was observed in MAR. It is, subsequently, important to increase awareness on DWS intake by providing and adopting correct technological interventions and training communities on the maintenance of the adaptive measures.

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