Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Type	Conservation Charity (Registered Charity No. 1014705)
Founded	1987
Headquarters	Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK. [1]
Staff	Chris Butler-Stroud (Chief Executive)
Area served	Worldwide
Method	Research, Conservation, Lobbying and Negotiation.
Motto	The global voice for the protection of whales, dolphins and their environment.
Website	http://www.wdcs.org/

(WDCS) the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans). ^[2]

The WDCS is a recognised partner of the Convention on Migratory Species, which is part of the United Nations Environment Program.

Aims

The objectives of the WDCS are:

• To reduce, and ultimately, eliminate the continuing threats to cetaceans and their habitats.
• To raise awareness of cetaceans and educate people about the need to address the continuing threats to their welfare and survival.

The WDCS works to:

• Prevent suffering in individual whales, dolphins and porpoises, whether in their natural environment or in captivity.
• Stop the deliberate killing of whales and dolphins for commercial and so-called 'scientific' purposes.
• Stop the unnecessary deaths of cetaceans from man-made threats such as pollution or entanglement in fishing nets.
• Prevent the extinction of endangered species and promote the recovery of all cetacean populations.
• Secure adequate protection for - and maintain the health of - all cetacean habitats.
• Promote a worldwide interest in cetaceans.^[3]

History

The WDCS was established in 1987, its headquarters are in Chippenham in Wiltshire, UK. They also have offices in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Germany and the USA, they also carry out projects in Asia and the Americas.

Current work

The WDCS’s work is divided into three main areas:

Stop - which aims to prevent; whaling, dolphin hunts, fisheries bycatch, captivity, chemical and noise pollution, the impacts of climate change and ship strikes. As well as supporting governments, charities and other organisations.

• Notably during 2007 they helped prevent Japan from gaining acceptance for a new category of whaling at the IWC meeting. ^[4]

Protect - which, through the use of scientific research and conservation projects, aims to safeguard whale and dolphin communities, populations and whole species.

• During 2007 the WDCS funded 32 conservation and research projects across 25 countries around the world. ^[4]

• The CetaceanHabitat website (which is supported by the WDCS), is dedicated to the conservation of the critical habitats of whales, dolphins and porpoises in national waters and on the high seas of the worlds oceans. ^[5]

Connect - which, through media, events, exhibitions, visitor centres, websites and other means, aims to educate and inform people about the need to protect whales and dolphins.

During 2007 the WDCS:

• Hosted the launch of Scotland’s first legal code of conduct for wildlife watchers, following a successful campaign to secure the relevant legislation.
• Hosted school activity programmes in the US, UK, Australia and Germany to teach children and students
• Partnered with the UN Convention on Migratory Species in launching the Year of the Dolphin.

'Stop Bloody Whaling' Logo

'StopBloodyWhaling' Campaign

WDCS also organise the Stopbloodywhaling campaign which aims to stop commercial whaling at ‘every level - in international meetings; in the press; through public protests and by encouraging governments to take stronger actions against whaling nations’.^[6]

The main focuses for this campaign are Japan, Denmark and Iceland, as well as on Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling.

Wildlife Visitor Centres

The flagship WDCS Wildlife Centre 57°30′07″N 4°14′47″W / 57.50199°N 4.24630°W / 57.50199; -4.24630 is based at the mouth of the River Spey on the southern shore of the Moray Firth on the east coast of Scotland. They also run the ‘Dolphin and Seal Centre’ 57°40′25″N 3°05′35″W / 57.67359°N 3.09294°W / 57.67359; -3.09294 along the coast at North Kessock.^[7] Both centres are close to Chanonry Point which is reputed to be one of the best spots in the UK to view Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from the land.

WDCS also endorses a commercial eco-tourism travel company called ‘Out of the Blue’ which organises whale and dolphin watching trips around the world. During 2007 they ran 34 trips to over 14 destinations worldwide. ^[4]

Partnerships

Year of the Dolphin

2007 (extended to 2008) was designated the (International) Year of the Dolphin by the United Nations and UNEP, with the WDCS being partners in this project. ^[8]

'We Sail For The Whale’ logo.

2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race

The WDCS were announced as official partners for Team Russia in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race ^[9] which started in Alicante, Spain, on October 11, 2008.

The aim of this partnership is to highlight the need for better global protection for whales and dolphins. ^[10]

Team Russia’s yacht 'Kosatka' sailed under the logo 'We Sail For The Whale’; this campaign calls for the creation of twelve new marine protected areas for whales and dolphins by 2012.^[11]

The proposals announced so far include:^[12]

• The Alborán Sea in the Mediterranean.
• The Ross Sea in Antarctica.
• Part of the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal.
• Areas of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America.

Gangetic Dolphin Conversation

WDCS together with the Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Centre (VBREC), led by Dr. Sunil Chaudhary,the Environmental Biology Laboratory of Patna University, and T.M. Bhagalpur University, initiated a project to improve the conservation value of the 50km Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary. One of the most important accomplishments has been the development of the Vikramshila Conservation Action Plan.

Regional Websites

References

External links

• WDCS Homepage
• Cetacean Habitat website
• ACCOBAMS website
• ASCOBANS website
• Year of the Dolphin website
• Far East Russia Orca Project
• StopBloodyWhaling website
• Team Russia