Tag Archives: Global Ocean

The road back to Africa

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Tomorrow I’m heading to the small island state of São Tome and Principe, lying 150 miles (240 km) from the West African mainland.
There it will take place the 1st International Encounter on Local Development. I’m to give a lecture on whale-watching, and its perspectives on country, giving examples and making considerations in relation to the industry itself, its benefits to the coastal communities and sustainable ways of building a long lasting profitable industry based on conservation and research bases in order to achieve a consistence platform of work.

Fsheries of Sao Tome and Principe

Besides taking part on the event I’ll be having meetings with the decision-makers in government, representatives from the Civil Society (NGOs) and the tourism sector. The aim is to provide scientific and practical advice and suggestions regarding the use of cetaceans as a resource, and ways of implementing and cementing t – in accordance to the material also given in the presentation.

Considerations of the voyage to be displayed daily…

Sao Tome and Principe (part II)

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I’ve returned from Sao Tome and Principe (STP) last Thursday, where I gave a presentation at a conference about Biodiversity and Ecotourism. The title I presented was “The non-lethal use of Cetaceans – a multidisciplinary perspective”. It basically covered the uses cetaceans can withstand nowadays (whaling is not one of them), recommendations to the STP’s government and a challenge for STP to declare their national waters a sanctuary for cetaceans.

Sao Tome and Principe Kids

Interestingly enough, the day I arrived a commission of STP’s government headed to Japan where they signed a bilateral agreement on fisheries, presumably to do with tuna. My opinion is that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and whaling issue was on the agenda, and STP is at risk of joining the IWC and vote with Japan to uplift the moratorium of 1986.

Beside the forum I had the chance to speak with some people of the government, tourism agencies and people interested in developing sustainable ecotourism and the press. I also manage to get a letter from 10 different organizations to the president himself. One can only hope STP is not signing the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW).

Also, there will be published a book with the presentations given at the forum, so I will have the chance to make a point on why whaling is not acceptable today and how Whale-Watching can be of a great help to the local community.

Cetaceans and current trends

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This was an unexpected invitation. To give a lecture at my former High School on my work about cetaceans. The title of the venue was “A escola convida” (School Invitational). For sure that I was very flattered and honoured by such call. Some of my former teachers were present which gave a nice touch to the occasion. The presentation focused 5 distinct species but a special focus on the current trends of the whaling issue and how to circunvent them.

Giving a Lecture at my former High School

Credits were given to Global Ocean and its support of my work since South America, then the Caribbean and lately Africa.
In the end many question were made but this time I knew more about a topic on discussion then them, I Guess this is the evolution ans specialization of science. I was also given a gift as a sign of gratitude, very nice!

Sao Tome and Principe (interlude)

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Second endeavor in Africa, this time to the island of Sao Tome and Principe (STP); again sponsored by Global Ocean. STP is suffering pressure from Japan to join the International Whaling Commission (IWC); and I was commissioned to do the first probing visit to the country backed up by Greenpeace and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). The trip was very positive, the only trouble is that I saw the inside of the prison one day I was taking photos and the policemen thought I would be a good victim to give them some extra income (got out with all me money in me pockets) and also that my computer kind of “exploded” the second day of my stay so I was in some trouble trying to get my work done in a proper way. The after-all math is quite good and I hope to get back there in March this year.
See my newspaper interview here (portuguese only)

The website has been a little abandoned but it was due mostly to my trips and the difficulties I experienced with technology (yes the computer I got to replace the one lost in STP was giving me loads of problems, took almost 2 weeks to fix it!). However I’m preparing my portfolio (FINALLY!) and it should be available the next few weeks…

Sao Tome and Principe (part I)

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During March last year (2007) the international community that struggles to safeguard the place of cetaceans on this planet was alarmed by the possibility of Sao Tome and Principe join Japan in their loop-hole inside the International Whaling Commission (IWC). News of this kept coming and so Global Ocean (an UK based Charity) decided to send me there last November and do a first on-site recognition of the problem.
After planning the political and social strategie it was decided that the work would have 3 focused areas of action:
1) Government
2) The Tourism Sector
3) Press

Sao Tome and Principe

The first aim was to show the government that there are more reasons not to support whaling than the opposite, the other was to alert the damages and impact the involvement of Sao Tome and Principe on the whaling issue could have on the touristic sector (on expansion in the islands). Ultimately warn the public through the press the image their government is giving to the world and how bad that is for the country.
The foremost Goal? Prevent Sao Tome and Principe of joining the IWC.

Read my interview to the main newspaper of Sao Tome (Portuguese)

Observer at IWC 58th Meeting (St. Kitts)

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I’ll be at St. Kitts and Nevis from the 15th of June to the 22nd for the IWC meeting. This came after an invitation from Global Ocean (represented by Melanie Salmon) and the efforts from Dan Morast, Leslie Busby , and Sidney Holt . It is an honour for me to receive such call and my only hopes are that I’m at the high standards this situation demands. I wish to express my profound appreciation and gratitude to those who made possible my journey to St. Kitts and Nevis.

Visit the new website about the whaling theme. With fresh news from around the world, some considerations, the history and controversy surrounding the IWC and a culprits zone where you can see the countries who are voting with Japan listed, and much more.
Arm yourself with knowledge go to www.nowhaling.com
More news on the whaling issue after the 58 th IWC meeting.