If you need something more than an esthetic argument of the value of nature to get behind ocean conservation, then this report should be music to your ears. A new report states that whale and dolphin watching is one of the fastest growing industries in the Pacific and that whale watching is worth $23 million a year to small Pacific nations such as Tonga. The number of people in the region paying for marine mammal nature tours has jumped an average 45% each year, to 110,716 in 2005.
Highlighting the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) report earlier today, former New Zealand minister and International Whaling Commission (IWC) delegate Jim McClay said each Humpback whale which visited Tonga was worth about $US1 million to the local economy during a 15-year period and urged Japan to stop hunting the mammals. Solomon Islands conservation representatives have said their government would be more willing to support whale conservation if whale-based tourism increased in destinations throughout the islands.
“Whales are worth far more alive than dead. Responsible whale and dolphin watching is a win-win solution for whales and people in the Pacific Islands Region, and has the potential to provide important economic opportunities to coastal communities,” said Olive Andrews, IFAW Pacific Officer.
Source: Pacific Magazine
1 comment:
I work for an Ocean conservation group and this finding is exactly the type of thing we try to use to appeal to people. You can tell people why it is bad to overfish or go whaling, but when you can show them they can make more money by NOT killing whales it gets their attention. Let’s hope the countries still supporting whaling fleets get the message sooner rather than later.
Post a Comment