Socio-environmental approach on whales vulnerability in the context of Marine Spatial Planning in Norway and in the Artic Region

Project facts

Project promoter:
Autonomous University of Barcelona
Project Number:
ES07-0121
Target groups
Researchers or scientists
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€12,277
Final project cost:
€12,277
From EEA Grants:
€ 12,277
The project is carried out in:
Spain

More information

Description

Marine Spatial Planning is a new European Union Directive building on the concept of “ecosystem based” and “sustainable activities”. The project objective is to analyze how these concepts can be applicable to marine mammals in the Arctic. Ocean mammals are gaining conservation concern due to their ecosystems functioning key role. The aim is exploring how society envisions whales’ vulnerability, identifying conflictive issues such as fisheries, oil, navigation, etc. that compromise whales’ survival, but also considering the whales positive appealing role for tourism and research. Potential conflicts will be spatially expressed by combining species’ distribution models with pressure maps. Results, discussed with relevant representatives of the coastal communities, will allow identifying their visions of future, key priority actions and main recommendations for MSP in Norway, addressing whales’ issues. Based at Tromsø, UAB researcher and UiT team will strongly collaborate. Joint papers and research proposals will be prepared.

Summary of project results

Among all species, ocean mammals are gaining conservation concern due to their ecosystems functioning key role. Whales are considered the insignia of oceans health and their survival is closely linked to the future of the ocean and of the planet Earth. The project aims at exploring how society envisions whales’ vulnerability, identifying those conflictive issues among the main economic sectors in Norway and the major climate change threats that compromise whales’ survival. The project has allowed understanding better the relationships between societies and how the past, present and future of whales is socially perceived, making more visible and understandable the sources of socio-environmental conflicts. Partners have focused upon local extreme North coastal fishing communities, and the seals and whales hunting activities. They have contacted main research institutes working in North Norway, The Barents Sea and Svalbard archipelago. They have looked how intergovernmental initiatives and institutions are working, assessing governments, on marine mammals management. Non Governmental Organizations have also been analysed, as well as their perception on marine mammals. They have also explored the tourism sector that live upon the ecosystem services produced by the seasonal migration of whales and other cetaceans. The also included the local population and its cultural habits and preferences for whale consumption, and how these food habits have evolved. Finally they have explored the government institutions and the processes to build an ecosystem based Marine Spatial Planning in the Barents Sea: white papers, MSP strategy and MSP Master plans, and how decisions are taken during the whole process, as well as how the MSP is being implemented. They have developed a test on mapping and modelling whales’ vulnerability in the Barents Sea, which was seen as extremely useful by a number of research institutions that were collaborating in the project (North Atlantic Marine Mammals Commission, Svalbard Earth Observation System…), who tried to develop a similar model with oil spills on whales. The methods developed in this research and its results will be useful 1) to fine-tune the concepts and methods of ecosystem based MSP development and processes in the Barents Sea, in particular governance and participation, 2) to compare MSP procedures in the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, following relevant species migration routes.

Summary of bilateral results

As a result of the project, partners plan to cooperate, both Autonomous University of Barcelona and The Arctic University of Norway - University of Tromso, with the University Centre in Svalvard and other Norwegian institutions, to boost collaborations at institutional levels. In Norway, bringing the NILS results: to the Arctic Council, to the Norwegian syndicate of Whalers; to NAMMCO, and its Director Geneviève Desportes; to the Directoratet for Naturforvaltning and its Director Anna Langaas; building bridges between these institutions and others. With the European Commission, presenting the NILS work to the EU DG-MARE, which is possible as the grantee Dr. F. Breton participates in the MSP expert Group of the DG-MARE. With the Mediterranean partners, presenting the work to: the Catalan Generalitat; the UNEP-MAP at the Barcelona Convention; the Mediterranean Foundation MEDSEA in Sardinia; UICN Malaga and MEDPAN. Other planned cooperations are: the identification of PhD thesis done on the related issues, with a shared direction; identification of calls for research that can interest the Artic and Mediterranean Ecosystem based MSP, MPA and the governance processes; submit proposals to the H2020; fund raising to sustain the Artic-Mediterranean Network (ERA-net for ex.); organisation of an international meeting in Barcelona in 2016; exchange of students and professors are discussed; and others. Partners will continue and enlarge the research performed within NILS programme and work through a shared collaboration towards Iceland, Greenland and Faroe Islands. They plan to continue working together on the Pelagos Sanctuary in the Mediterranean and the potential for a network of MPSs focusing on whales. They shall also continue common research on whales migration between the Arctic and the Mediterranean and other issues, and have also taken contacts with researchers and stakeholders in Patagonia and Península Valdés (South America), and in South Georgia.