Ecotourism has been touted as a way to limit the destruction of natural habitats caused by mass tourism, while supplementing income of local communities in developing nations. While good in theory, how successful has ecotourism been at empowering the people who live in the beautiful places ecotourists want to visit? In this podcast, Cindy Pan, Melissa Baldino, and Virginia Pan investigate the impacts of ecotourism initiatives on local communities, with the help of Duke University Marine Lab assistant professor Dr. David Gill.
Duke Marine Lab
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In this episode, Emily Melvin and Katrina Rosing delve into the complexities of tourism in the Bahamas. The two discuss how tourism affects Bahamian identity and reflects colonial legacies even today. In exploring these issues, they interview Tarran Simms of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s sustainability department. Tarran discusses his views of Bahamian identity, the interplay of that identity with tourism, and the emergence of new forms of tourism in the Bahamas.
On this episode Rand Alotaibi, Lauren Mahoney, and Madena Mustafa talk about the negative impact that noise from ships and seismic surveys has on whales, with a special focus on the blue whale, the largest animal to ever live. Rand, Lauren, and Madena consult marine mammal experts to learn why sound in the ocean is such a big deal, and to identify what we can do to help.
On this episode Marissa Garcia, Uma Govindswamy, and Connor Johnston discuss the past, present, and future relationship between human beings and the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale who inhabit the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Pavel and Tony explore the history of humpback white dolphins in Taiwan and assess the threat these small marine mammals are facing, particularly through fisheries interactions. They ask experts from the Wild at Heart, Legal Defense Association in Taiwan and Florida International University to weigh in on the magnitude and complexity of these issues and discuss ways we can all act to protect endangered species such as these charismatic dolphins.
Why did Japan leave the IWC and why do we care? Contention between whaling nations and non-whaling nations allied with conservation groups helps to explain Japan’s departure from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). In this episode, Andrea Kolarova, Emma Shannabrook, and Colyer Woolston explore the geopolitical history leading up to this moment, discuss competing arguments surrounding commercial whaling, and pose the question: “now what?” The episode features an interview with Dr. Andrew Read of the Duke University Marine Lab, an expert in cetacean conservation with long-term involvement in the IWC.
Visuals of the Pacific Garbage Patch and sea turtles with straws up their noses have captured people's attention. We want to do our part to help solve the marine plastic pollution problem, but is it really fair for big corporations to place this burden on the consumer? What about the developed countries that export their plastic waste to developing nations for them to process and recycle? It seems the plastic problem is one big cycle of placing the blame on the next receiver in the supply chain. In this episode, Ali Boden and Cass Nieman explore the passers and receivers of the marine plastic burden and discuss current and future solutions.
With the world's population projected to reach 10 billion people in the next 30 years, it is reasonable to wonder: what will the future landscapes of food production look like? Or should we say… seascapes. In this episode, Kendall Jefferys and Lauren A. Mariolis explore the potential and pitfalls of aquaculture.
On this episode, the host, Rafaella Lobo, talks to four other students to understand how the Covid-19 global pandemic has affected their lives and research, and how they have learned to cope with these new challenges.