Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises: 2002-2010 Conservation - IUCN

Chapter 5
Recommended Research and Education Initiatives
The main focus of the Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG), to
date, has been on freshwater and coastal marine cetaceans,
which we consider to be at particular risk because of their
proximity to human activities, narrow ecological requirements,
and often fragmented population structure. Conserving
populations of these and other cetacean species
requires coordinated effort among agencies, organizations,
and communities within the animals’ ranges. Some cetacean
conservation issues are best addressed at a global and
species level, and several projects in this Action Plan embody
that approach. In general, however, the CSG emphasizes
regional or population-level approaches. The intention
is to tailor conservation strategies to the specific character of
the ecological and socio-political environment where cetacean
survival is threatened. Ideally, these strategies should
be implemented under the leadership of local scientists,
resource managers, and community groups. Conservation
efforts will ultimately succeed only if they are embraced by
the people living in and near the animals’ habitats.
This chapter consists of 57 project descriptions, organized
geographically as well as topically. Although most of the
projects emphasize research and education, conservation
measures are implicitly, if not explicitly, encouraged to
ensue from the recommended research and education activities.
In many instances, basic information is needed about
the species present in an area and their abundance, habitat
use, and mortality factors before appropriate conservation
measures can be proposed. In other instances, we need to
improve the state of knowledge and develop means of conveying
key information to decision-makers and the general
public in order to gain support for conservation initiatives. A
series of focused and more explicit recommendations for
conservation action of those cetacean species most at risk of
extinction appears in Chapter 6. Both chapters 5 and 6 fall
far short of being comprehensive with respect to species,
geography, and management needs. As always, the
Cetacean Action Plan needs to be viewed as a work in
progress rather than as a definitive blueprint.
The recommended projects and actions reflect the knowledge
of individual CSG members and their judgment about
priorities and potential for successful implementation. No
attempt has been made, however, to rank items in order of
urgency or importance. These will depend upon the perspectives
of individual readers or users. The inclusion of any
subject in the list of recommended projects and actions
means that the CSG accords it a high priority. A glaring
omission is that there are no projects from Oceania in this
chapter. To some extent, the existing Action Plan for
Australian Cetaceans (Bannister et al. 1996) fills the gap,
but in the future, the conservation and management needs of
cetaceans in Oceania, along with Africa, will be given special
attention by the CSG.
Some of the projects included in the present chapter have
already been partially implemented, some are in the early
stages of development and implementation, and others have
yet to begin. While individual CSG members, and occasionally
the CSG as a group, can be directly involved in some
Action Plan projects, our intention is not to limit the range of
people and organizations who end up leading, supporting, or
assisting the various initiatives. On the contrary, it is hoped
that many individual scientists, government agencies, and
non-governmental organizations will become involved and
contribute in whatever way makes sense. It is also important
to emphasize that few of the projects are likely to take the
form of a single, one-time effort with a clear-cut beginning
and end. Rather, they are just as likely to involve a suite of
activities undertaken by more than one individual or group,
with multiple, staged milestones and completion times. The
intended role of the CSG is simply to identify and help
define the needed work, then promote it and ensure that it is
conducted in a responsible fashion. Potential investigators,
as well as potential funding sources, are encouraged to
contact the chairman (Randall Reeves), deputy chairman
(Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara), or relevant regional coordinator
(Enrique Crespo for Latin America, Brian D.
Smith for Asia, Vic Peddemors for Africa, or Nick Gales for
Oceania) to arrange for assistance with methodology or
other aspects of proposal development. Also, the CSG welcomes
the submission of proposals for review and endorsement.
It is important to emphasize, however, that the CSG is
not itself a source of project funding.
5.1 Asia
Burgeoning human populations and rapid economic development
threaten the survival of cetaceans in much of the
world, but nowhere more so than in Asia. With its extensive
coastlines and productive floodplain rivers, Asia provides
habitat for perhaps the greatest number of cetacean species
at risk. This is especially true of the freshwater cetaceans. In
the Yangtze River, the baiji faces imminent extinction and
the Yangtze River finless porpoise, a freshwater population
(subspecies) of an otherwise marine species, may be close
behind it. In the case of the baiji, further research is considered
a low priority, and the immediate challenge is to
eliminate known threats to the survival of the species in its
natural habitat (Chapter 6). In the Indus, Ganges-
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