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From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: changes in perception and use of large marine animals

2019Journal article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorMazzoldi, Carlotta
dc.contributor.authorBearzi, Giovanni
dc.contributor.authorBrito, Cristina
dc.contributor.authorCarvalho, Inês
dc.contributor.authorDesiderà, Elena
dc.contributor.authorEndrizzi, Lara
dc.contributor.authorFreitas, Luis
dc.contributor.authorGiacomello, Eva
dc.contributor.authorGiovos, Ioannis
dc.contributor.authorGuidetti, Paolo
dc.contributor.authorRessurreição, Adriana
dc.contributor.authorTull, Malcolm
dc.contributor.authorMacDiarmid, Alison
dc.date.accessioned2020-07-27T13:35:51Z
dc.date.available2020-07-27T13:35:51Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractMarine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some species have been perceived as competitors of fishers for marine resources and were often actively culled. Since the 1970s, there has been a change in the perception and use of megafauna. The growth of marine tourism, increasingly oriented towards the observation of wildlife, has driven a shift from extractive to non-extractive use, supporting the conservation of at least some species of marine megafauna. In this paper, we review and compare the changes in the perception and use of three megafaunal groups, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers, with a special focus on European cultures. We highlight the main drivers and the timing of these changes, compare different taxonomic groups and species, and highlight the implications for management and conservation. One of the main drivers of the shift in perception, shared by all the three groups of megafauna, has been a general increase in curiosity towards wildlife, stimulated inter alia by documentaries (from the early 1970s onwards), and also promoted by easy access to scuba diving. At the same time, environmental campaigns have been developed to raise public awareness regarding marine wildlife, especially cetaceans, a process greatly facilitated by the rise of Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, all the three groups (cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers) may represent valuable resources for ecotourism. Strikingly, the economic value of live specimens may exceed their value for human consumption. A further change in perception involving all the three groups is related to a growing understanding and appreciation of their key ecological role. The shift from extractive to non-extractive use has the potential for promoting species conservation and local economic growth. However, the change in use may not benefit the original stakeholders (e.g. fishers or whalers) and there may therefore be a case for providing compensation for disadvantaged stakeholders. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that even non-extractive use may have a negative impact on marine megafauna, therefore regulations are needed.pt_PT
dc.description.sponsorshipSFRH/BPD/102494/2014, UID/MAR/04292/2019, IS1403pt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0226810pt_PT
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/14523
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherPublic Library of Sciencept_PT
dc.relationAssessing the molecular, toxicological and ecological status of the bottlenose dolphin from the Sado estuary Portugal, a highly human-impacted environment.
dc.subjectAnimalspt_PT
dc.subjectConservation of natural resourcespt_PT
dc.subjectEcosystempt_PT
dc.subjectCetaceapt_PT
dc.subjectElasmobranchiipt_PT
dc.subjectPerceptionpt_PT
dc.titleFrom sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: changes in perception and use of large marine animalspt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleAssessing the molecular, toxicological and ecological status of the bottlenose dolphin from the Sado estuary Portugal, a highly human-impacted environment.
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//SFRH%2FBPD%2F97566%2F2013/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876/UID%2FHIS%2F04666%2F2013/PT
oaire.citation.issue12pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPagee0226810pt_PT
oaire.citation.titlePLoS ONEpt_PT
oaire.citation.volume14pt_PT
oaire.fundingStream5876
person.familyNameRessurreição
person.givenNameAdriana
person.identifier.ciencia-id6D17-FDDD-7407
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-1171-2164
person.identifier.scopus-author-id23393966700
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery3342a8a4-576d-48b9-9460-286f870deb8c
relation.isProjectOfPublicationa9b472dc-36c1-4fda-9061-151614f7e093
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