PRESENTATION
With numerous aquaria around the world displaying beluga whales and six polar countries managing beluga populations, there is a need for information sharing on research, husbandry and management practices in order to enhance their contribution to beluga conservation in the wild. A number of aquaria and researchers have expressed an interest in fostering better collaboration between their respective communities. This workshop will bring together researchers, veterinarians, husbandry staff, educators and managers to build relationships and promote communication and collaboration in order to:
- Review the current state of knowledge;
- Determine research needs in wild and captive environments;
- Develop a research agenda;
- Build a coordination network; and
- Develop public education goals.
There are two main objectives of this workshop: 1) to identify topics for research in aquaria that would be advantageous for on site conservation of belugas in their natural habitats and2) to enhance captive beluga well-being based on wild research results. Furthermore, environmental problems affecting beluga whale populations and the research being done to mitigate these problems could be more fully interpreted in public education programs. Public education programs, both in aquaria and during beluga eco-tours, should convey stronger conservation messages. Belugas are an ideal species for education about climate change, arctic ecosystem fragility and to foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration to promote arctic conservation.
Workshop result: Valencia Strategy
Workshop to develop monitoring plans for Arctic marine mammals 4-6 March 2007
The workshop is being hosted by L’Oceanogràfic of Valencia in Spain, which includes beluga whale facilities and is actively doing research on this species.
