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: Mapping stakeholders' views on the conservation impact of whale research and whale-watching activities in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

par Kiraly, Borbala
Promoteur Huge, Jean
Co-Promoteur De Weerdt, Joëlle
Publication Non publié, 2024-08-29

Mémoire

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Résumé :

Successful nature conservation benefits both local communities and theirsurrounding environment. Therefore, incorporating stakeholders' perceptions ofconservation topics is vital for improvement. This study aimed to understandstakeholders' viewpoints on humpback whale conservation and how it is impacted bytourism and research in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. To integrate both qualitativeand quantitative data, Q methodology was used for this study. This method revealsclusters of perspectives, areas of agree and disagreement and helps to reflect on theresults for future suggestions for bettering conservation with more communityinvolvement. Three main discourses emerged: (1) conservation is beneficial for bothlocals and tourism, but resources must be distributed more equally; (2) tourismovershadows traditional fishing, and conservation is seen as less relevant; (3) whaleconservation is challenging, local and national efforts needed for education andresearch. Consensus was found on the pressing issue of overfishing and theinsufficiency of current environmental laws. Even though there are no conflicts in thecommunity, based on complimentary interviews of Q methodology inequality is ahighlighted. It is an issue between local and foreigners due to incomparableresources and the boom of tourism industry. This overshadows the focus onresearch and conservation, even though the importance of both is acknowledged.These findings provide a clearer understanding of the current challenges of conservation and what are the issues that could be addressed to benefit the community and nature of San Juan del Sur.