From today, an online handbook will equip anyone who wants to go whale watching with places to go and questions to ask. A collaboration between the International Whaling Commission and the Convention on Migratory Species, the Whale Watching Handbook offers comprehensive, impartial and free advice.
An estimated $2.1Bn is spent by 13 million people who go whale watching each year. The new Handbook aims to support the industry and its regulators, as well as members of the public, to ensure long-term sustainability for both the whale populations and the communities whose prosperity has come to rely on their presence.
The starting point for the Handbook is the latest scientific understanding of potential whale watching impacts on individual whales - and on the long-term health of the populations being watched. The result is a living and evolving global resource of whale watching, including country and species information, case studies, and management advice, developed in consultation with governments, industry leaders and conservationists around the world.
Currently running to over 100 pages of searchable, cross-indexed online content, the Handbook is divided into easily navigable sections according to user-type.
Key features include an interactive world map that enables users to access information about whale watching in 25 featured countries, and a species section with annotated illustrations to help users learn more about particular species and identify them in the water.
Developed for use on mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, the Handbook also includes a variety of material designed for download, including species factsheets and a database of over 300 peer-reviewed articles.
The Handbook was formally endorsed at the IWC biennial meeting in September 2018 and is available now at https://wwhandbook.iwc.int
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