Save the Whales

In March 2012, volunteers with the AWF agreed a strategy with regard to whales and dolphins to work towards over 2012/2013. The strategy prioritises issues volunteers feel they can and should do something about. See below for details.

What will we do?
We will raise awareness on the whale watching boats in Tenerife and list as much support as we can from tourists to help develop and finance our plans.

We will implement programmes over the course of 2012 to achieve the goals we have set ourselves.

We will fundraise , and sell whale and dolphin merchandising to finance our programmes

What can you do?
You can help us to fundraise and to sell whale and dolphin merchandising .

You can volunteer with us, either in Tenerife or at one of our other project bases.

Together, we can Save the Whales!

AWF Cetacean Strategy 2012- 2013
The following document was adopted by AWF volunteers March 2012 and defines the focus of the AWF's work over the next two years. Incoming volunteers are expected to help develop and implement ideas expressed below.

The strategy covers five main areas: Research; Raising Awareness (Education); Eco Tourism; Campaigning; and Project Development.

The programme will be funded through the AWF's Save the Whale campaign running in Tenerife and supported by our True Fair trading site. Anyone wishing to support the programme can donate through the AWF's Just Giving pages or contact us direct.

Research
Goals
• To develop a global cetacean conservation database; a portal for cetacean species knowledge and existing research, education and conservation initiatives.

• To develop acoustic research programmes to extend knowledge on cetacean communication and to associate behaviours to vocalisations.

• To develop satellite tagging projects to extend our knowledge of cetacean migrations and to associate this with conservation action plans.

• To develop molecular ecological studies to obtain knowledge on phylogeography, phylogenetics, populations, migrations and sex of cetaceans for the purpose of conservation.

Actions
• Priority: to maintain the collection and analysis of interaction and fin- shot data of cetaceans of Tenerife; Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and migratory species.

• Priority: to implement a satellite tagging, acoustic, and photo-identification research project on Humpback Whales in Sierra Leone.

• Priority: to implement a photo-identification project of Pygmy Blue Whales in Sri Lanka.

• To implement and collaborate with research programmes directed at the four extant river dolphin species.
• Platanista gangetica gangetica (Ganges River Dolphins)

• Platanista gangetica minor (Indus River Dolphin)

• Inia geoffrensis (Boto) •

Pontoporia blainvillei (Franciscana).

• To implement an acoustic research study on the resident Short-finned Pilot Whales and Common Bottlenose Dolphins in Tenerife.

Campaigning
Goals
• To utilise social media to campaign for the issues which the AWF believes to be of high priority to conserve cetaceans (i.e. websites, documentaries).

• To raise awareness for the conservation issues which various fishing techniques create with respect to cetaceans

• Longline fisheries

• Purse-seine

• Driftnet

• Gillnet.

Actions
• 'Save The Whale' campaign – to raise awareness for cetacean conservation needs and to raise funds in order to implement the actions and goals outlined in this document.

• 'Save Morgan' campaign – to raise awareness for the Orca, Morgan, who was taken from the ocean by the Dutch and on sold to Loro Park, Tenerife. In doing so, raising awareness of the implications of captivity to whales and dolphins


Education
Goals
• To make available educational materials to all who wish to access it in both digital and hardcopy mediums.

Actions
• To develop an accessible-for-all global portal for cetacean species knowledge on distribution, habitat and ecology, threats and conservation and global research initiatives.

• To produce educational videos, which can be distributed worldwide to a range of groups and individuals.

• To develop and implement educational courses to deliver to students of varying ages and as downloadable courses, covering conservation issues as well as general cetacean knowledge

• To develop and distribute cetacean conservation material for both adults and children via the medium of:
• Educational books

• Leaflets

• Posters.


Ecotourism
Goals
• To provide opportunities for local communities of the AWF target countries to utilise their natural resources for income, and in doing so to increase the flow of tourism into these areas, and in ways that protect the cetacean's natural environment.

Actions
• To implement cetacean-watching tours in target countries in order to provide an alternative to the fishing industry as well as an income for local people, and platforms for cetacean research in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Honduras….

• To develop cetacean-watching codes of best practice to encourage tours to act in a respectful manner towards cetaceans.

• To implement cetacean-watching codes of best practice in target countries by creating educational material and encouraging the companies to act in this manner with a view to attracting more tourists as a result of this practice.


Project Development
Goals
to develop cetacean projects of a research, educational and/ or conservation nature at our project locations globally and to initiate same where our research indicates there is a pressing need.

Actions

To set up a Humpback whale research programme and eco tourism facility in sierra Leone

To set up Blue Whale and Sperm Whale research programmes in Sri Lanka

To identify in particular, potential for river dolphin project support or, if no projects exist, development.