Loading...
Publication
A climate change integrated assessment of whale watching in Macaronesia
| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.56 MB | Adobe PDF |
Authors
Abstract(s)
As alterações climáticas estão a decorrer de forma rápida, generalizada e intensa, com impactos graves, interligados e irreversíveis nos sistemas naturais e humanos. No oceano, os efeitos das alterações climáticas estão a afetar fortemente os ecossistemas marinhos, principalmente através do aumento da temperatura, da acidificação, e da desoxigenação. Os ecossistemas marinhos proporcionam um conjunto de serviços de aprovisionamento, de regulação, culturais e de suporte. Estes serviços são particularmente relevantes em estados costeiros e insulares, onde se prevê que os impactos das alterações climáticas tenham maiores consequências, como a subida do nível do mar, a erosão costeira ou o aumento da frequência e intensidade de eventos climáticos extremos. O turismo é uma das principais atividades socioeconómicas desenvolvida em estados insulares a nível mundial, nomeadamente na bioregião da Macaronésia, onde a observação de cetáceos é uma das principais atividades. No entanto, os impactos das alterações climáticas na observação de cetáceos são largamente desconhecidos, ao mesmo tempo que faltam estudos que integrem os impactos socioeconómicos e ecológicos das alterações climáticas na atividade. Por outro lado, há a necessidade de apoiar os decisores na conservação da biodiversidade, identificando os esforços de gestão necessários e as lacunas de conhecimento a preencher. O principal objetivo da presente dissertação é, assim, realizar uma avaliação integrada da vulnerabilidade biológica e socioeconómica da atividade de observação de cetáceos às alterações climáticas, por forma a apoiar a sua sustentabilidade a longo prazo na bioregião da Macaronésia. As três principais perguntas de investigação definidas para responder a este objetivo são: (i) Qual a vulnerabilidade ecológica das espécies de cetáceos às alterações climáticas? (ii) Qual a vulnerabilidade socioeconómica da observação de cetáceos às alterações climáticas? (iii) Como é que a gestão da atividade de observação de cetáceos pode ser apoiada face às alterações climáticas?
Climate change is occurring at a rapid, widespread, and intensifying rate with natural and human systems witnessing increasingly severe, interconnected and often irreversible impacts. In the ocean, climate change is projected to strongly affect marine ecosystems mainly through increases in ocean temperature, acidification, and deoxygenation. Marine ecosystems provide essential benefits to society through several regulating, provisioning, cultural, and supporting services. These services are particularly relevant in island and coastal states, where the impacts of climate change (such as sea level rise, coastline erosion, and increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events) are expected to be most severe. Tourism is one of the main socio-economic activities on islands worldwide, namely in the bioregion of Macaronesia, where whale watching is one of the main activities. The impacts of climate change in whale watching are largely unknown, and studies that integrate the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change on the activity are missing. Concurrently, there is the need to provide conservation managers and practitioners with sound scientific knowledge in order to support effective and appropriate management efforts. The main goal of this dissertation is to assess the integrated biological and socio-economic vulnerability of whale watching to climate change to support the long-term sustainability of the activity in the Macaronesia bioregion. The three main research questions defined to achieve this goal are: (i) What is the ecological vulnerability of cetacean species to climate change? (ii) What is the socio-economic vulnerability of whale watching to climate change? (iii) How can the management of whale watching be supported under climate change?
Climate change is occurring at a rapid, widespread, and intensifying rate with natural and human systems witnessing increasingly severe, interconnected and often irreversible impacts. In the ocean, climate change is projected to strongly affect marine ecosystems mainly through increases in ocean temperature, acidification, and deoxygenation. Marine ecosystems provide essential benefits to society through several regulating, provisioning, cultural, and supporting services. These services are particularly relevant in island and coastal states, where the impacts of climate change (such as sea level rise, coastline erosion, and increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events) are expected to be most severe. Tourism is one of the main socio-economic activities on islands worldwide, namely in the bioregion of Macaronesia, where whale watching is one of the main activities. The impacts of climate change in whale watching are largely unknown, and studies that integrate the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change on the activity are missing. Concurrently, there is the need to provide conservation managers and practitioners with sound scientific knowledge in order to support effective and appropriate management efforts. The main goal of this dissertation is to assess the integrated biological and socio-economic vulnerability of whale watching to climate change to support the long-term sustainability of the activity in the Macaronesia bioregion. The three main research questions defined to achieve this goal are: (i) What is the ecological vulnerability of cetacean species to climate change? (ii) What is the socio-economic vulnerability of whale watching to climate change? (iii) How can the management of whale watching be supported under climate change?
Description
Keywords
Alterações climáticas Avaliação de vulnerabilidade Observação de cetáceos Macaronesia Climate change Vulnerability assessment Whale watching Macaronesia