Whale-watching trips in Peru lead to increases in tourist knowledge, pro-conservation intentions and tourist concern for the impacts of whale-watching on humpback whales

Published source details García-Cegarra A.M. & Pacheco A.S. (2017) Whale-watching trips in Peru lead to increases in tourist knowledge, pro-conservation intentions and tourist concern for the impacts of whale-watching on humpback whales. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 27, 1011-1020.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Educate the public to improve behaviour towards marine and freshwater mammals Action Link

Educate the public to improve behaviour towards marine and freshwater mammals

A before-and-after study in 2014 of whale-watching tours in the South Pacific Ocean, off the coast of northern Peru (García-Cegarra et al. 2017) found that after educational tours, a greater number of participants were willing to change their behaviour towards the marine environment or donate money for marine conservation than before the tours. After the tours, a greater number of 196 participants were willing to change their behaviour to protect the marine environment (130 participants) than before the tours (114 participants). The same was true for the number of participants willing to donate money to support marine conservation (before: 42 participants; after: 54 participants). A total of 196 tourists completed questionnaires before and after educational whale-watching tours lasting an average of 3 h in August–September 2014. Three boats (each with a capacity of 20 people) operated the tours targeting humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae. Two of 10 statements in the questionnaire assessed behavioural intentions (actual behavioural change was not assessed).

(Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)