Dear all,
We are pleased to announce the publication of this new paper:
Frans VF and Augé AA (2016). Use of local ecological knowledge to investigate
endangered baleen whale recovery in the Falkland Islands. Biological
Conservation 202: 127-137.
http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1TgFJ1R~e3CjY (full article available open-access
until 21 Oct).
Abstract: Baleen whale populations have increased around the world after the
end of commercial whaling in the 1980s. Anecdotes from local inhabitants of the
Falkland Islands tell of an increase in whale sightings after an almost
complete absence. However, no long-term monitoring exists to assess such
recovery. With increasing maritime activities around the Islands, local
managers need to understand the status and distribution of baleen whales to
avoid impeding the potential recovery process. In the complete absence of
scientific data, harvesting local ecological knowledge (LEK) from residents
could provide means to assess whether whale numbers are increasing. We
collected historical knowledge and mapped historical observations through
structured interviews with 58 inhabitants and filtered observations for the
highest reliability. We also collated existing historical catch and sighting
data to compare species composition in inshore and offshore waters. A total of
3842 observations were compiled from the 1940s to 2015. This collation of
information provided first-time evidence on the return of the whales in the
Falkland Islands' waters. There was a clear increase in numbers of whales
sighted, from no observations in the 1970s to 350 observations between 2010 and
2015 for similar effort, mostly of endangered sei whales (Balaenoptera
borealis) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). We mapped contemporary whale
sighting hotspots to inform current marine spatial planning efforts. The use of
LEK is highlighted here as a useful way to gain a better understanding of
changes in the status of threatened species when no scientific monitoring has
been conducted.
Cheers
Veronica and Amélie
______________________________________
Dr Amélie Augé
South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI)
Stanley
Fakland Islands
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com
______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
MARMAM mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
