Whale, dolphin and turtle conservation in the Azores

The Azores archipelago, which sits near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 1400 kilometres off the coast of Portugal, is one of the prime whale and dolphin hotspots in the world and around 30% of the world’s known cetacean species have been recorded there. For management purposes the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has included the Azores archipelago in the East Greenland and Iceland stocks, but there is little evidence to support this. The expedition initiated the first long term concerted study on baleen whales in the Azores. These animals in particular have not been studied around the Azores and accurate knowledge of the origins of the baleen whales passing the archipelago during April and May will help to determine which stocks they come from and assess more accurately their true numbers (which are often inflated in efforts to set hunting quotas).

The expedition will also continue existing sperm whale, bottlenose and Risso’s dolphin studies. The sperm whale study is part of a larger migration and social study, and the dolphin study is in the early stages of assessing animal numbers and migratory behaviour around the archipelago. Loggerhead turtles will also be studied and tagged as part of an international research project studying their life history and migration around the Atlantic.

First of all, please note that this operator has won multiple awards that show its committment to conservation and the environment. Two of the most prominent awards are "Best Volunteering Organisation" at the 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards and higly commended for "Best for Conservation of Endangered Species" at the 2007 awards. See http://www.responsibletourismawards.com for more details.

The operator is committed to running real wildlife conservation research expeditions to all corners of the Earth and says "Our projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions but genuine research expeditions, promoting sustainable conservation and preservation of the planet's wildlife by forging alliances between scientists and the public. Our goal is to make, through our expedition work, an active contribution towards a sustainable biosphere. We believe in empowering ordinary people by placing them at the centre of scientific study and by actively involving them out in the field, where there is conservation work to be done.

We always work in close conjunction with local people and scientists and try our best to ensure that the fruits of our expedition work benefit our local helpers, their society and the environment they live in. Adventure, remote locations, different cultures and people are part and parcel of our expeditions, but also the knowledge that you will have played an active role in conserving part of our planet's biosphere. We exist for those who, through their hands-on work, want to make a difference to the survival of the particular species or habitat under investigation, and to the world at large. We invite everyone to come and join us out in the field, at the forefront of conservation, to work, learn, experience and take responsible guardianship of our biosphere.

To achieve this we will wherever possible:

collaborate with reputable scientists, research institutions and educational establishments (wherever possible from the host nation) who are experts in their field

collaborate with organisations and businesses which operate in an ethical and/or sustainable way

operate in an ethical and sustainable way, minimising negative impacts on local cultures, environments and economies

publish results and recommendations based on collaborative work together with those who helped gather data and draw conclusions.