Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador
Whale-watching tourism in Ecuador thrives through the spectacular image of a flagship species, the humpback whale. Seemingly, it is an example of an industry regulated and managed in accordance with sustainable principles of nature conservation, thanks to the work of Ecuadorian scientists who advoca...
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2023
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2071-1050/15/15/11608/ 2023-08-20T04:07:05+02:00 Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador Bradley Tatar agris 2023-07-27 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511608 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Social Ecology and Sustainability https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su151511608 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Sustainability; Volume 15; Issue 15; Pages: 11608 biopolitics conservation ecotourism flagship species whale-watching Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511608 2023-08-01T11:02:19Z Whale-watching tourism in Ecuador thrives through the spectacular image of a flagship species, the humpback whale. Seemingly, it is an example of an industry regulated and managed in accordance with sustainable principles of nature conservation, thanks to the work of Ecuadorian scientists who advocate for policies to protect whales from harmful exploitation. However, does the use of the whale as an icon of conservation result in its utilization as a mere commodity for profit? Through ethnographic fieldwork including interviews, observations, and textual analysis, it is shown that the Ecuadorian practices of whale conservation have resulted in the whale becoming a subject of governance, by which the wild animals are recognized as entities worthy of ethical treatment. Using the humpback whale as a flagship species, the Ecuadorian scientists practice biopolitics through the strategies of categorizing, monitoring, and regulating human interactions with the whale population. The success of this approach to wildlife governance highlights the role of NGO-affiliated scientists as knowledge producers and policy advocates. Text Humpback Whale MDPI Open Access Publishing Sustainability 15 15 11608 |
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English |
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biopolitics conservation ecotourism flagship species whale-watching |
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biopolitics conservation ecotourism flagship species whale-watching Bradley Tatar Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador |
topic_facet |
biopolitics conservation ecotourism flagship species whale-watching |
description |
Whale-watching tourism in Ecuador thrives through the spectacular image of a flagship species, the humpback whale. Seemingly, it is an example of an industry regulated and managed in accordance with sustainable principles of nature conservation, thanks to the work of Ecuadorian scientists who advocate for policies to protect whales from harmful exploitation. However, does the use of the whale as an icon of conservation result in its utilization as a mere commodity for profit? Through ethnographic fieldwork including interviews, observations, and textual analysis, it is shown that the Ecuadorian practices of whale conservation have resulted in the whale becoming a subject of governance, by which the wild animals are recognized as entities worthy of ethical treatment. Using the humpback whale as a flagship species, the Ecuadorian scientists practice biopolitics through the strategies of categorizing, monitoring, and regulating human interactions with the whale population. The success of this approach to wildlife governance highlights the role of NGO-affiliated scientists as knowledge producers and policy advocates. |
format |
Text |
author |
Bradley Tatar |
author_facet |
Bradley Tatar |
author_sort |
Bradley Tatar |
title |
Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador |
title_short |
Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador |
title_full |
Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador |
title_fullStr |
Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador |
title_full_unstemmed |
Advocacy, Ecotourism, and Biopolitics of Whale Conservation in Ecuador |
title_sort |
advocacy, ecotourism, and biopolitics of whale conservation in ecuador |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511608 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Humpback Whale |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale |
op_source |
Sustainability; Volume 15; Issue 15; Pages: 11608 |
op_relation |
Social Ecology and Sustainability https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su151511608 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511608 |
container_title |
Sustainability |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
15 |
container_start_page |
11608 |
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1774718528295796736 |