‘Kia angi puku to hoe I te wai’ Ocean noise and tourism.

Martinez, E. & Orams M. B.

World Congress on Coastal and Marine Tourism, Massey University

2009

World Congress on Coastal and Marine Tourism

Prof Orams: Profile and contact details (AUT): www.aut.ac.nz/profiles/hospitality-tourism/tourism-events/professor/mark-orams

The overall theme of the 6th Coastal and Marine Tourism congress is “The Spirit of Ubuntu, Connecting Continents, Places and People”. “The Spirit of Ubuntu” is a traditional African concept, acknowledging interconnectedness between humans and also between humans and nature. This concept is also central to the worldview of Maori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand where the phrase ‘kaitiakitanga’ is used to express the duty of care or guardianship responsibilities Maori have with all living things. Indigenous paradigms such as ‘ubuntu’ and ‘kaitiakitanga’ are pertinent to the emerging issue of ocean noise. There is a growing concern regarding increasing levels human induced noise in the oceans and its effect on marine mammals. Tourism activities contribute to these rising sound levels, however, few studies have focused on quantifying sound produced by tour boats and assessing their effects on marine mammals. Furthermore, no research has been conducted, thus far, to examine the impacts of deliberate use of sound as a mechanism to create and enhance interactions between tourists and marine mammals. As a consequence, there is little to guide management decisions when considering marine mammal responses to noise levels. We argue here that an alternate approach to management is needed with direct actions taken to minimise any potential effects through a sound understanding of the needs of the marine mammal. This is consistent with the precautionary principle and is also well suited to an adaptive management type of approach. Following the spirit of “ubuntu” and “kaitiakitanga” and ensuring that our acoustic impacts on marine environments and on marine creatures are minimised must be a better way forward.

Keywords:

Whale-watching, swim-with-dolphins, noise, sound, management, Marine, Conservation, Environment

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Case study

National

Outdoor Recreation

Outdoors

Coast and beach

Impacts - environmental, Tourism

2017

July 11, 2012