Determining and quantifying threats to coastal cetaceans: A regional collaborative workshop Determining and quantifying threats to coastal cetaceans: A regional collaborative workshop February 22-24, 2011 Permai Rainforest Resort (Kuching, Sarawak) FINAL REPORT Edited by Gianna Minton and Brian D. Smith - 1 - Determining and quantifying threats to coastal cetaceans: A regional collaborative workshop FOREWORD By Randall Reeves, Chair of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group There was a time when the impetus for most meetings and workshops on marine mammals in southern Asia (as well as Africa and South America) came from North America and Europe. In those days, Asian marine mammalogists were working largely in isolation, on shoestring budgets and with minimal (if any) institutional support. Their work rarely made it into the mainstream scientific literature. When they occasionally managed to attend an international conference, it was mostly to learn about discoveries made by scientists from elsewhere, using tools and study methods that were, or seemed, inaccessible. Thank goodness those days are behind us. The workshop in Kuching is a good, but by no means unique, example of how things have changed over the last couple of decades. It was conceived and organized within the region and supported by an Asian conservation foundation. Participants came from many parts of southern Asia, most of them with advanced degrees and solid experience. A few carefully selected experts from outside the region were invited, not just to lecture and pontificate but to engage in peer-to-peer discussions. As is plainly evident from the workshop report, those discussions were lively and frank, just as one would expect from such a capable and motivated group. Like most workshops, this one generated a long wish-list of follow-up activities. Some of these may prove difficult in some parts of the region, but I’m encouraged by the practical tone of the report. The participants clearly were not starry-eyed novices, nor were they dismissive cynics. It is a challenge to balance realism and idealism, and this group did an admirable job of striving to achieve such a balance. The problems discussed at the workshop can be addressed only partly through science. Although it is important to know what species are present and in what numbers, their ecological needs, how many are dying in fishing gear, and how the animals respond to various kinds of human activity, that isn’t enough. We also need to know what makes us humans do what we do and how our behaviour can be modified to reduce our impacts on the natural environment. It is vital to pose some of the tough questions raised at this workshop, such as those having to do with the pros and cons of nature-oriented tourism, whether to engage with industry and if so how, and the most effective means of conducting community outreach and education. However, getting at the human dimension of conservation is not what most biologists and ecologists have been trained to do, so there is a clear need for us to collaborate more closely with economists and social scientists as well as with fishermen, teachers, journalists, tourboat operators and other people who are part of local communities. The Sarawak Dolphin Project at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak is to be commended for the painstaking, thorough, and considerate way the workshop was planned and conducted. By all accounts, those lucky enough to attend were inspired, informed, and treated to unmatched local hospitality. It is impossible to measure precisely the “success” of an event like this one. In the coming months and years, it will be difficult even for those directly involved to know how their individual thinking, options, and choices were affected. The metric that will matter most, by far, is to what extent the workshop, and the many connections established among those involved, have helped to create a better future for coastal cetacean populations in the region. Finally, it’s important to acknowledge the principal workshop sponsor, Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK). Over the last two decades OPCFHK has become a regional force for conservation. In fact, not just this workshop, but also much of its underlying groundwork in research, education, and awareness, is a legacy of OPCF support. - 2 - Determining and quantifying threats to coastal cetaceans: A regional collaborative workshop WORKSHOP SUMMARY The “Determining and quantifying threats to coastal cetaceans: A regional collaborative workshop” was hosted by the Universiti of Malaysia’s Sarawak Dolphin Project and funded by the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK). Participants (27) from the Asian region were resident for 3 days and 4 nights in the Permai Rainforest Resort, overlooking the Salak-Santubong Bay, one of the core habitats of Irrawaddy dolphins and finless porpoises in Sarawak. The core participants were from Peninsular and East Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with international representation from the USA, Australia and Britain. The opening ceremony included presentations and participation by local stakeholders, academics, and NGOs. The workshop focused on identifying key gaps in our knowledge of coastal cetaceans in Southeast Asia, evaluating techniques for determining and quantifying threats, and using the results from scientific studies for conservation management. The emphasis was on small cetaceans with near- and inshore distributions that do not extend beyond the continental shelf: the Irrawaddy dolphin Orcaella brevirostris, finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis, and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus. Participants also recognized that nearshore waters in Southeast Asia provide vital habitat for populations of some pelagic species (e.g., spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris and dwarf spinner dolphins, S. longirostris roseiventris) and support at least two large baleen whales: small-form of Bryde’s whales Balaenoptera edeni and Omurai’s whales B. omurai. Topical presentations were given by international experts and case studies were presented by regional participants. Research and monitoring techniques were discussed for conducting population and bycatch assessments, establishing stranding networks, and investigating the impacts of coastal and freshwater development. Developing strong partnerships with local fishing communities, national universities, government agencies, and nature tourism operators was stressed. During three days of presentations, discussions, and exchange of reference and media materials, workshop participants identified the following knowledge gaps that hinder effective conservation and management: The size, range and identity of populations, information particularly important for species with restricted and patchy distributions such as those occurring along the complex coastlines and island archipelagos of Southeast Asia; Details on bycatch, including the gears responsible, species involved and mortality rates, which present a special research challenge due to the small-scale and diverse nature of coastal fisheries in Southeast Asia; Basic ecology and life history parameters of species populations, including survival rates, prey composition, and habitat preferences, information vital for conducting viability analyses and assessing the impacts of environmental changes associated with declining freshwater supplies, coastal reclamation and climate change; and Resource use and the socioeconomic status and attitudes of human communities, which is essential for incorporating their needs in, and ensuring their support for, conservation plans Workshop participants agreed on the following recommendations for research and monitoring: Genetic studies should be undertaken to assess population identities and isolation. If (sub) populations are found to be genetically distinct, greater priority should be placed on implementing measures to protect them. An emphasis should be placed on risk assessment techniques including statistical analysis of trends in relative abundance and modelling the spatial and temporal overlap between cetacean distribution and threats. - 3 - Determining and quantifying threats to coastal cetaceans: A regional collaborative workshop Increased use should be made of passive acoustics to detect cetacean presence, especially for those species that are difficult to detect visually (e.g., finless porpoises) and are located in inaccessible locations or at times of year when visual/boat surveys are not practical. Acoustic hard- and software is becoming more user-friendly, effective and less expensive. Standardized fisheries/community questionnaires should be developed, shared and adapted to local conditions so that the results can more easily compared across the region. The content of the questionnaires should be guided by ethical standards required by many universities and research/funding bodies and include a statement informing respondents of these standards. Shore-based surveys should be considered as an alternative to boat surveys in locations where suitably high observation platforms are available, especially when investigating behavioural responses to potential disturbances from coastal construction or vessel traffic. Platforms of opportunity, including tourism and seismic, fisheries, and oceanographic survey vessels, should be used as feasible to collect data on cetacean distribution,