Philanthropy

Field-based research and citizen science are two very important tools for WDC.  Much of our campaigning and lobbying work is based on credible scientific data and evidence gathered by WDC staff and thousands of volunteers conducting research in key whale and dolphin habitats and data deficient areas.  WDC’s extensive dataset helps to build a better picture of the presence and distribution of whales and dolphins and human activities. We also use the information gathered to lobby for, and to demonstrate the need for, marine protected areas (MPAs) and robust protective measures to be put in place to help whale and dolphin populations.

• Shorewatch - our team, based in Scotland, trains and supports volunteers who collect information all year round on the presence and abundance of whales, dolphins and porpoises sighted off the Scottish coast. This data informs conservation actions and management of the ocean, including supporting the designation of marine protected areas in critical habitats.

Local communities have the biggest impact on and potential to save their environment and the wildlife they live and work alongside.  Our role is to support and empower these communities to make positive choices that drive the protection and conservation of their local species.  Two key projects are:

• Protecting river dolphins in South America.
• Inspiring children and young people across the UK to become engaged in and dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins.

We have over 30 years’ experience campaigning against whaling and captivity – with a track record of galvanising public support, lobbying governments and businesses to bring about positive change, and winning and upholding protections for whales and dolphins at international conventions.  The success of our efforts to create lasting change in different countries is achieved by our strategy of influencing hearts and minds in the countries where the most deliberate harm is being caused to whales and dolphins. By taking this collaborative approach, we’re able to ensure that calls for change come from within and therefore are heard more forcefully than criticism from people in outside target countries.  We carry out research and base our arguments firmly on the science, which sets us apart and makes us a respected source of information for governments across the world.  A priority project for campaigning is our work in Norway to:

• Build a network of partners on the ground; including NGOs, lawyers, whale-watching companies etc, ensure the extent and cruelty of hunting are understood and communicated to the public and support Norwegian whale-watching companies; help them develop their responsible whale-watching programmes and highlight the economic benefits of living versus dead whales.

Whale and dolphin protection isn’t just good for the planet, it makes good business sense too, and the commercial sector has an enormously important role to play in achieving change in policy and practice.  WDC has a successful track record of engaging different sectors to devise and implement solutions that work for all parties.  This is particularly important within the fishing industry, where we work with communities to overcome the threat of entanglement in fishing gear - the single biggest threat to whales and dolphins – in ways which do not harm people’s livelihoods.

• Collaborating with Scotland’s creel fishers to reduce entanglement of minke whales, humpback whales, and basking sharks through gear modifications.
• Alternative Gears Project - understanding the barriers to fishers utilising alternative gears.

We pride ourselves on staying true to our values whilst retaining our accuracy and integrity. For this reason, we work hard to ensure that we justify our calls for change with robust research, science and reasoning so that we can achieve the greatest protections for whales and dolphins worldwide. The threats to whales and dolphins are many and wide-ranging, and the two projects below are examples of the cutting-edge research work WDC is leading on.

• Climate Giants Research Project: Animating the Ocean is a revolutionary project that will use the latest computer modelling technology to synthesise and measure, for the first time ever, the global impact of marine mammals on the ocean.
• Bycatch Research Project: Updating the global estimate of the number of whale and dolphins killed every year through bycatch.

Many of the most important decisions taken affecting whales and dolphins are done at an intergovernmental level, which is why WDC plays an active role at international and national conventions. Intergovernmental fora, such as the International Whaling Commission, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Convention on Migratory Species and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, are all essential arenas for WDC so that we can keep influencing and making change to protect the ocean with our team of experts. With your help, we can make sure whales and dolphins have a voice and are heard even more clearly with greater representation.

• Secure protection for whales and dolphins at intergovernmental fora

Whales and dolphins don't recognise national boundaries and for us to realise our ambition of seeing their populations recover, we need to think big.  We are working on a series of major projects that, with the help of significant philanthropic support and investment, will deliver large-scale, global outcomes for whales and dolphins - and the world.

• Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) of Fisheries Bycatch (helping WDC to secure a ban on gillnets in the UK)