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"Better protection" goes hand in hand with "better knowledge". In the field of conservation, data are precious, rare and often costly in terms of time, means, manpower, technical and financial resources. The lack of means often hinders knowledge, which impacts the conservation.
Whatever your status : researcher, manager, association or citizen you can contribute to research and conservation of cetaceans by sharing your observations. These data can then be used to study biology of the species, identify threats and monitor populations over time. These informations are needed to establish and adjust effective conservation actions.
Many citizen science tools exist in each territory. We invite you to discover and use three participatory science programs dedicated to marine mammals in the Caribbean:
–OBSenMER, OBSenMER is a collaborative platform that facilitates the capture and analysis of observations at sea (marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, birds, but also human activities). OBSenMER is intended for the general public as well as for professional naturalist organizations, and collects both participatory science data and data from an expert protocol.
–Photoidentification Thanks to artificial intelligence, Flukebook compare your dorsal fins and/or caudal fins photos with others around the world, in order to obtain information on the movements of these animals.
–The stranding networks, Information from strandings helps to improve knowledge on the biology of the species, the threats and the sources of mortality. To develop research and analysis programs, data are needed. The SPAW RAC proposes to the stranding networks of the Greater Caribbean Region to share their metadata in order to identify existing information in the region and potential collaborations.
