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Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we're exploring...
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...

Celebrating 10 Years of Successful Amazon River Dolphin Conservation!

2015; IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE NATUTAMA’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

And there is much to celebrate! Natutama, founded with WDC help in 2005, is ten years old. The Natutama team have worked successfully together with local communities to protect wildlife and the surrounding environment of Puerto Narino in the heart of the Colombian Amazon.  Together they have achieved some incredible things; not least saving river dolphins, manatees, giant Amazon fish, herons, turtles, sloths and ceiba trees!  The Natutama education and wildlife guardian programmes are covering more children and more ground than ever. This reflects the growing commitment of the indigenous educators and guides that make up this dedicated and committed team supported by WDC.

The Natutama education programme now touches every single family in Puerto Narino and every age group (pre-school, primary and secondary), as well as people in more than 20 other communities including those in nearby Brazil and Peru.  Ticuna and Yagua elders from these Amazon Indian communities take part and share their knowledge with the Natutama educators and teach children indigenous songs, dances and stories; encouraging and motivating them to take care of wildlife and natural resources in their Amazon environment.

Pre-school Natutama group

The successful Natutama ‘Model’ combines community education and wildlife monitoring and guardianship as a way of encouraging conservation; and this is now becoming well-established in conservation circles throughout Colombia.   Together WDC and Natutama are spreading the word about the Natutama Model and the importance of community participation in conservation efforts to other neighbouring South American countries and communities sharing the flooded forest with river dolphins.