Traditional Ecological Knowledge Of Whale Sharks: Collaborating with Bajo Fishermen of Eastern Indonesia for Whale Shark Conservation
Dr Natasha Stacey
natasha.stacey@cdu.edu.au
Johanna Karam
johanna.karam@cdu.edu.au
9th May 2008
1:00-2:00pm
Charles Darwin University
Building 22.01
School for Environmental Research (SER)
Abstract
Whale sharks form the basis of a large seasonal ecotourism industry in Western Australia. Despite on-going research during the local annual aggregation, relatively little is known about the migration and aggregation patterns of this whale shark population once it travels north beyond Australian waters. Conservation of this highly migratory, long-lived species will require international cooperation to ensure the species is protected.
A pilot project was undertaken in 2007 by Charles Darwin University and AIMS researchers in collaboration with Bajo fishermen from villages in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT), eastern Indonesia. The Bajo shared knowledge of seasonal migration patterns of whale sharks travelling through the Timor Sea, north to Indonesia and demonstrated their potential to act as partners for whale shark monitoring and management.
The Bajo hold customary beliefs regarding whale sharks and hunting of the species is forbidden by customary law. However these customary laws may be eroding amongst the younger generations of Bajo. While there appears to be no developed economic market for whale shark products in NTT, without support for alternative economic activities, this commercial market could develop as it has in other countries. Early intervention including public education will be necessary to prevent such a market from being established. Alternative or supplementary income sources will become increasingly important as fishers are moved away from illegal fishing activities in the Timor-Arafura seas.
Engagement of Bajo partners for monitoring and management of whale sharks could provide economic benefits to Bajo fishermen and support bilateral and international conservation efforts of the species. This would require close collaboration with local communities to develop an appropriate model of cooperation and to identify resources required for on-going documentation, tagging and monitoring activities.
Biosketch
Dr Natasha Stacey is an anthropologist with 15 years experience in research and development projects on marine and fisheries resource management in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Stacey has a long-standing research relationship with the Bajo populations from Southeast Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara Timor, particularly those now based at village of Pepela on the island of Rote and Sulamu village, Kupang Bay Timor. Dr Stacey’s doctoral research on Bajo traditional fishing in Northern Australia has been published as a book with ANU E Press titled “Boats to Burn: Bajo fishing activity in the Australian Fishing Zone”
Johanna Karam has several years experience working in the areas of natural resource management, capacity building and sustainable livelihoods in Indonesia and Timor Leste. She holds a Masters in Tropical Environmental Management from Charles Darwin University and currently working as a Research Associate for the School of Environmental Research and the School of Environmental and Life Sciences.
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