Cetacean Conservation and Research Program

The world's oceans are complex and challenging, as are the problems that threaten them.  Scientists are increasingly concerned about maintaining functional ecosystems and protecting key species in coastal and open ocean habitats around the world.  To counter these trends, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) have developed innovative approaches to preserving marine biodiversity around the world.  These methods are grounded in science, and we work closely with local communities and partners on local, national, and international levels to ensure a vibrant future for the oceans' wildest places.  Ensuring that our work has conservation impact is a fundamental part of our strategy.  The Cetacean Conservation and Research Program (CCRP), a joint program between the American Museum of Natiural History and the Wildlife Conservation Society, exemplifies this approach to conservation and science.  Under the direction of Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, the CCRP is dedicated to protecting endangered whales and dolphins and their critical habitats through integrated conservation research, capacity-building, education, and community involvement at local, regional, and international management levels.  The CCRP also utilizes genetics to assess 'conservation units' to improve management decisions for a variety of cetaceans globally.

Field Iniatives

The CCRP focuses conservation efforts on a variety of marine mammal species.  These include seven large whale species and numerous species of small cetaceans.  New initiatives include efforts to study and protect critically endangered West African Manatees and Dugongs.  Long term field sites include Madagascar (Western Indian Ocean) and Gabon (Gulf of Guinea), and an important aspect of the CCRP's approach is to assess population status and linkages across broad geographic areas.  The CCRP's in situ efforts are centered on identifying and ultimately achieving protection measures for critical marine mammal habitats.  These efforts include initial attempts to identify areas more suitable for long term management, where available resources can be applied for maximum conservation benefit.  The longest-running field projects include the conservation and population ecology of humpback whales in Antongil Bay in the northeast of Madagascar (since 1996), off the island of Mayotte in the Comoros Archipelago (since 1997), and off the coast of Gabon (since 2000) in west Africa; and the assessment and mitigation of human impacts on small cetaceans in southwest Madagascar (since 1999).

Education Initiatives

The CCRP is dedicated to educational activities at numerous levels.  We support US and international students by integrating their undergraduate and graduate research into our projects.  In the countries where we work, educational opportunities are limited, and we are actively involved in training the next generation of conservation practioners.  This training has resulted in colleagues from Gabon and Madagascar becoming leading spokespeople for the conservation of marine mammals and the marine environment.  Some of our activities are aimed specifically at public education and community-based awareness, including support of local marine festivals, workshops, and the development of interpretive materials.  The CCRP has worked to support conservation and education-oriented ecotourism (whale-watching) initiatives in order to educate the local people and ecotourists and provide valuable economic opportunities for the local communities.  As AMNH and WCS are cultural institutions whose missions are research, education, and exhibition, we are able to utilize and apply a wide array of technologies and media to disseminate our findings and educate the public on local, national, and international scales.

Conservation Impacts
The work of the CCRP is focused on applying scientific research to improve conservation policy and to mitigate current and emerging threats to marine mammals, many of which are endangered.  Projects utilize different combinations of site-based research and conservation initiatives with sophisticated analytical, technological, and laboratory based methods for an integrated approach.  Each project is tasked with identifying ways to positively influence and affect conservation policy by working directly with local community stakeholders, national government officials, regional initiatives, and international management authorities.  Success relies on improved awareness of conservation needs for marine mammals, and the wider environment.