Conservation, Captivity, and Whaling: A Survey of Belize Whalewatching Tourists’ Attitudes to Cetacean Conservation Issues
| dc.contributor.advisor | Parsons, E. Chris M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Patterson, Katheryn | |
| dc.creator | Patterson, Katheryn | |
| dc.date | 2010-04-25 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2010-05-26T13:23:32Z | |
| dc.date.available | NO_RESTRICTION | |
| dc.date.available | 2010-05-26T13:23:32Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010-05-26T13:23:32Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | With whalewatching activities and associated expenditures increasing annually, governments in coastal countries possess a large vested interest in the continued growth and protection of whale populations and the associated tourism. In 2007 and 2008, a survey investigating whalewatching tourists' attitudes toward key cetacean conservation issues, such as legislative protection, whaling, and captivity, was administered to volunteer participants at Blackbird Caye, Turneffe Atoll, Belize (n=166). With regards to attitudes towards cetacean conservation issues, the majority of participants considered dolphins and whales to be under protected or only slightly protected (36.4%; 45.1%, respectively) and expressed that marine mammal conservation laws and policies were very important (83.1%). In addition, 95% of participants expressed opposition against the hunting of whales (68.5% strongly opposed and 26.5% opposed), and the majority of participants were against keeping dolphins in captivity no matter if the dolphins were kept in a dolphinarium or a semi-natural habitat confined by nets (78.1%; 66.9%, respectively). Furthermore, 93.3% of participants stated that they preferred to observe dolphins in the wild rather than in a captive setting, whether semi-natural or a dolphinarium. In addition to allowing a comparison of the attitudes and concerns of whalewatchers in Belize with other surveyed areas, this survey provides data that could assist the Belizean government with conservation-oriented decision-making. For example, 70.4% of participants felt that it was very important that Belize has a strong commitment to dolphin conservation and of those same participants, an additional 27.8% of participants ranked cetacean conservation as important. Additionally, 68.1% of participants said that they would actively boycott visiting pro-whaling countries and more specifically, 59.5% of participants stated that they would boycott visiting Belize if the country supported whaling, which has implications for Belize's position and policies at the International Whaling Commission. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1920/5844 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.subject | Cetacean | |
| dc.subject | Captivity | |
| dc.subject | Dolphins | |
| dc.subject | Whaling | |
| dc.subject | Conservation | |
| dc.subject | Attitudes | |
| dc.title | Conservation, Captivity, and Whaling: A Survey of Belize Whalewatching Tourists’ Attitudes to Cetacean Conservation Issues | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Environmental Science and Public Policy | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | George Mason University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Master's | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science Environmental Science and Public Policy |