Activities & Events -

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Project

In a few words...

The 'Proyecto Ambiental Tenerife' is a conservation organisation based in Tenerife, Islas Canarias.

The 'Whale and Dolphin Conservation Project' is aimed at bringing about a self-regulating whale watching industry that sets standards of 'good practice' and to establish the Island as a European if not world centre for whale watching. The project is run by, and funded through, eco volunteers from across Europe. This year nearly five hundred will be involved. They will work as naturalist guides on boats, conduct important research work, run children's workshops, hold training programmes and educational courses, raise awareness with tourists, etc.

Of interest with tourists, we will be staging a 'European Festival of the Whale' between 10 and 24 August in Los Cristianos. This will involve beach activities: sand sculpting, face paiting, beach theatre, mural painting, educational courses, exhibitions, special whale watch trips, dolphin therapy sessions and the climax will be a giant beach party during the final week-end in celebration of the whale.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Project

(TENERIFE ' 98, JUNE - OCTOBER)

AIMS OP PROJECT: To develop in Tenerife a model of responsible whale watching as an example to the world, as a major platform for raising public awareness of cetacean conservation issues, and as an alternative way of life to whale hunting communities.

PROJECT AREAS: Support is required in all the following areas:

• NATURALIST GUIDES. Highly trained guides working in multi-lingual teams with the objective of raising the level of knowledge and awareness of cetacean issues on the whale watch boats. A group of targeted Canarians will lead this project with the objective of securing employment for themselves.
• RESEARCH. There will be several research initiatives: social structure and behaviour of Pilot whales visited by the boats; boat impact studies; research into Bottlenosed and possibly Sperm and Risso dolphins away from tourist areas.
• EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS. These workshops are aimed at groaps of loca and tourist children and are aimed at encouraging whale watching whilst promoting important conservation messages. This project will work closely with, and will support financially, local edacution initiatives.
• TRAINING WORKSHOPS These workshops are available free of charge to organisations within the tourism industry: boat crews; four operators; hotel staff; media etc etc Their objective is to raise the level of knowledge concerning cetaeeans whiLst promoting strongly the concept of responsibility for their protection and conservation,
• EXHIBITIONS. It is intended to moant a permanent exhibition in the Los Cristianos' cultural centre over the course of the summer and use this as a base for a variety of promotions and initiatives including u mobile exhibition stand covering all the tourist areas.
  

Contact

Ed Bentham
Project Co-ordinator
Proyecto Ambiental Tenerife
55, Monmouth Street
Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DG
United Kingdom
Tel: (44) [171] 240 6604