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Earthwatch 2016 Annual Field Report

WHALES AND DOLPHINS IN GOLFO DULCE, COSTA RICA

Lenin Oviedo MSc.

REPORT COMPLETED BY: Lenin Oviedo MSc., Research Associate Centro de Investigacion de

Cetaceos de Costa Rica CEIC

PERIOD COVERED BY THIS REPORT: January – December 2016

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Dear Volunteers,

Field work in 2016 was intense and meaningful. The more we know about our whales and dolphins the

more we discover new things and realized how important it is to keep their habitat healthy

I need to start by saying thank you all for your kind support, for helping and being part of the big

picture.

By the time I am writing this communication, we have translated our baseline data on humpback whales

into a concrete mitigation policy to preserve calving habitat (in Golfo Dulce and Osa Peninsula) at

international level with the Maritime International Organization (IMO), the UN specialized agency

responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

Thanks to your participation our data collection has had an important progression. This year 2016 being

an Earthwatch Project, we have been working closely with our partners at The Smithsonian Tropical

Research Institute and The International Maritime University in Panama, seeking for more answers and

better understanding of the dynamic between whales, dolphins and the habitat structure of Golfo Dulce

and the wider region of the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

We do have conservation challenges still ahead in our paths, we have to do major efforts to convince

authorities at political level, on how negative will be the effects of increased maritime traffic (due to a

luxury Marina) on humpback whale´s calving critical habitat inside Golfo Dulce, on how devastating

would be to disrupt dolphins critical foraging habitat, by building a luxury hotel in the middle of a

mangrove lined wetland. I feel positive that step by step we might get closer to a much needed Marine

Protected Area not only in Golfo Dulce but all around Osa Peninsula, Southern Costa Rica.

Once again many thanks.

Truly yours,

Leninviedo MSc. PhDC

CEIC-Earthwatch

http://www.earthwatch.org/exped/volunteer-costa-rica-whale-dolphin-conservation.html

CEIC | 300 m Sur Escuela de Rincón de Osa, El Chontal, Golfo Dulce, Península de Osa, Costa Rica, golfodulcecetaceans@gmail.com

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Summary Our knowledge in how our resident and migratory cetaceans in Golfo Dulce use this key marine habitat in

the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica has increased tremendously. Data gathered on population dynamic of our

resident population of bottlenose dolphins highlight a previously suspected connection to the inshore

bottlenose dolphin’ community inhabiting Chiriquí Gulf in Panama. This imply that a portion of the

dolphins we usually encountered are indeed year round residents in the Golfo Dulce, while some others

usually go back and forth across Panamanian waters next to Golfo Dulce. Similarly the value of Golfo

Dulce as a calving habitat for migratory southeast Pacific humpback whales is integrated to a greater

wintering habitat which includes Osa Peninsula and territorial waters of Panama. All this important

insights are being put forwards to the design of management and conservation tools.

Goals, Objectives, and Results

Report progress made towards your research goals and objectives as stated in your research proposal, and present

your results thus far. Include all graphs, tables, figures, and in the body of the text, and please include citations.

Clearly indicate confidential material that you do not want made public, or that might preclude future publication

elsewhere.

Cetaceans research in 2016 has focalized in cetaceans records inside Golfo Dulce (GD), records of

inshore bottlenose dolphins (n=44), spotted dolphins (28) and humpback whales (17) were gathered in 35

surveys along the inner basin and the sill area to account for 89 sightings throughout 2016.

Regarding objective 1 (To identify areas of critical importance to dolphins such as foraging areas,

breeding and calving habitats in the inner basin, outer sill area and the transitional – oceanic habitat in

Golfo Dulce) and objective 2 (To estimate population size and structure of spotted and bottlenose

dolphins at the inner basin and outer sill area) of our research project, we summarize here the most

important results in 2016:

Inshore bottlenose dolphins: we have refined the resolution of the information produced with this very

important coastal population, we have identified the resident individuals (above 40% in recapture) as a

very small local group (n≈23), mostly composed by females and calves plus a couple of male alliances,

this implies that the major percentage of the GD population frequently move in and out of Golfo Dulce,

during 2015 we have expended an important quantity of effort documenting cetacean populations

outside Golfo Dulce (North to Nicoya Peninsula), where we documented the inshore population of

Caldera Bay, with no recapture on any GD identified individual. This last rainy season we started a

collaboration with Universidad Maritima Internacional de Panama (UMIP) to study the coastal dolphin

population in Chiriquí Gulf, south of Golfo Dulce, we found recaptures of dolphins recorded in our photo

ID surveys in Golfo Dulce (e.g. TtGD085). The insights on dispersal gained on a key inshore dolphin

population, widens our understanding of population structure and dynamic, we recognized Golfo Dulce

as the most important inshore population nuclei within Costa Rica’s territorial waters, but as part of a

metapopulation of the Nicoya and Panama Bight Ecoregions. This knowledge consolidate baseline data on

coastal top predators in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, which by inhabiting the coastal environment, they

are a lot more exposed to human derived impacts.

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Fig. 1 Recapture of inshore bottlenose dolphins between Golfo Dulce (Costa Rica) and Golfo de Chiriquí

(Panama)

Pantropical Spotted Dolphins: Photo ID data gathering and processing continues for this species. We have

also started the analysis of footage and pictures taken through UAVs, where foraging events involving

spotted dolphins indicates the occurrence of fronts within the inner basin of GD. Those fronts are

frequently explored by groups of spotted dolphins due to the key value in prey aggregation. Behavioral

data collected both during boat surveys (35) and during exploratory UAV surveys (n=10) integrated with

previous behavior records evidence the use of hydrographic features of the inner basin to favor prey

capture, this information is currently being reviewed to understand the prey-predator dynamic within an

inner sea such as Golfo Dulce, which is a guidance to policy related with one of the most important

fishery resources in GD: the small pelagic, which are currently exploited without proper provisions

regulating the resource.

Regarding the objective 3 (To identify key areas for calving and breeding humpback whales, as well as

location of potential temporal and spatial overlap between the southern and northern stock) of this

initiative, in particular our field data on southeast Pacific humpback whales encounters have been

especially relevant, due to 1) the scientific cooperation scheme with Dr. Hector Guzman , from

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to support the conservation and management of humpback

whales in wintering areas of Central America by producing key baseline information on area use and

movement between calving areas and summer foraging grounds by satellite telemetry, which is

information that is being put forward to the creation of maritime traffic policy. 2) There is a cooperation

agreement with cetaceans’ scientist from South-America to participate in a region wide assessment

project “The population abundance estimation of humpback whales from stock G (southeast Pacific)”.

With addition of the data gathered during the humpback austral wintering season in 2016. We

accounted 31 individuals photo-identified in Golfo Dulce (Flukes Pictures). The rather slow number and

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the fact that the majority of flukes ID are obtained during competitive groups’ events, correspond with

the occurrence of males visiting this important calving area in search of mating opportunities.

Fig. 2. New additions (2016) to the flukes identification catalogues for southeast Pacific humpback

whales in Golfo Dulce. a) MnGD028, b) MnGD029, c) MnGD030 y d) MnGD031.

The distribution of southeast Pacific humpback whales sightings in Golfo Dulce (2007-2015: n=

159), was assessed through the estimation of sightings per unit of effort (SPUE). Observation effort in

Golfo Dulce has not been evenly distributed neither spatially nor seasonally, therefore, search effort on

active visual survey were plotted as lines derived of each 30 min detectability station (Fig. 3). Each

station is a vertex of a whole survey track, from which a raster layer of density of track lines was

created. The track density was estimated by calculating the total length of track portions that fell

within a radius of 1000 m in the neighborhood of each output raster cell from a grid of Golfo Dulce

(approximately 2.22 x 2.22 Km), using the pixellate function from the spatstats package (see Baddeley &

Turner 2005) in R.3.3.0 (R Core Team 2016). The value for density of effort of total distance covered in

each cell (kilometers covered per unit area) is then allocated to each grid cell. The numbers of sightings

within a cell was accounted and divided by the research effort to obtain the SPUE. The latter was

estimated using all the sightings included in the analysis, and by group composition.

A B

C D

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Fig. 3. Tracks summarizing detectability station (2011-2016) where presence absence of humpback

whales have been recorded in Golfo Dulce.

Qualitative validation of the spatial trend in SPUE was done through the overlap of tracks derived

from satellite telemetry data. Humpbacks whales were tagged in Golfo Dulce in September 2015,

specifically, two mother and calf pairs (tags numbered 459 and 462). Tagging procedure followed that of

Guzman et al. (2013); Félix & Guzman, (2014) and Guzman & Felix (2017), using Wildlife Computers

SPOT5 tags. The spatial trend in SPUE of the groups with calves and without calves equally favor the sill

area, with a more important presence of the group with calves within the southern tip of the inner basin

in between both coast, whereas the all adults groups showed a major occurrence closer to the entrance

of the gulf. The SPUE of groups with calves (Fig 4) is contrasted with the tracks of two satellite tagged

mother and calf pairs. The tracks overlapped with the area of higher SPUE showing a similar spatial

trend favoring the western coast of the sill area.

Ecologically Golfo Dulce is a key wintering area for southeast Pacific humpback whales, they aggregate

over the sill area primarily to give birth, nurse and reproduce, our results are supported by previous

assessments and direct observations on calving in this key location (Herra Miranda et al. 2016, Oviedo et

al. 2015) and by the high proportion of calves in the groups composition (54%), which is similar to the

one reported in adjacent calving areas such as Chiriquí Gulf (52%, Rasmussen & Palacios 2013) , off

Drake Bay and Isla del Caño (58%, Vida Marina Foundation non published data, 2001-2006), comparable

to other wintering grounds of M. n. australis off Brazil (Morete et al. 2007, 2003) and considerably

higher than what have been documented in other wintering habitats such as Maui, Hawaii, USA (Mobley

& Herman 1985; Smultea 1994), West Indies–Caribbean (Smith et al. 1999; Mattila et al.1994), the east

coast of Africa (Ersts & Rosenbaum, 2003) and Ecuador (Scheidat et al. 2000). However, the important

incidence of traveling behavior for both; calving and adults only groups; define the dynamic nature of

the habitat use of Southeast Pacific humpback whales inside Golfo Dulce. The residency time within GD

Osa

Peninsula

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of photo-identified individuals (1-3 days, CEIC non published Photo ID data) and that of satellite tagged

mother and calf pairs (2 to 14 days) support this assertion, emphasizing the fluid movement pattern that

would deemed this tropical fiord as a calving habitat, integrated to a major extended one comprising

the whole Central America wintering habitat: Las Perlas Archipelago, Chiriquí Gulf (Panama) and Osa

Peninsula, which would include Golfo Dulce (Costa Rica).

Fig. 4. Sighting per unit of efforts of humpback whales in Golfo Dulce, with details of satellite tracks of

mothers and calves (tag No 459: blue; tag No 462: black). Maps below the SPUE estimation show

behavior and group composition: MC (Mother-Calf pairs); MCE (Mother-Calf –Escort), MCP (Mother-Calf- >

1 additional Whale)

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Implication for management and conservation: The found spatial distribution patterns and defined

critical habitats should be used as baseline to establish guidelines for the management of this important

coastal-marine habitat and the wintering grounds of a highly migratory species. The understanding of

these patterns of spatial use, behavior and social structuring highlight the likelihood of human–animal

conflicts and the locations where it may occur. The location of a port facility in Golfito and the

construction plans for a luxury marina (Herra Miranda et al. 2016) make Golfo Dulce, the calving habitat

in territorial waters of Costa Rica, likely to be disrupted by pervasive impacts, associated to coastal

development and maritime traffic. Mitigation in the form of a Traffic Separation Scheme, as suggested

by Guzman et al. (2012) and later implemented in the Gulf of Panama is being devised through the

Maritime International Organization (IMO), however the closeness of the primary calving habitat to the

major coastal urban settlement, which would harbor the marina, is still a major concern. Increased

disturbance in the form of collision risk and noise pollution would have substantial implications on short-

term residency patterns and individual and calf survivorship (Herra Miranda et al. 2016, Ersts &

Rosenbaum 2003). Critical calving habitat would greatly benefit for the expansion of the Preciosa-

Platanares National Wildlife Refuge to cover the marine environs evaluated in this study, It also suggests

that using an ecosystem approach could be the right tool to meet the pressing need to create

connections between already existing marine protected areas and this way to establish a comprehensive

protection of species and resources.

REFERENCES

Baddeley, A & R. Turner (2005). spatstat: An R Package for Analyzing Spatial Point Patterns. Journal of Statistical

Software 12(6), 1-42. http://www.jstatsoft.org/v12/i06/

Ersts, P. J., & Rosenbaum, H. C. (2003). Habitat preference reflects social organization of humpback whales

(Megaptera novaeangliae) on a wintering ground. Journal of Zoology, 260(4), 337-345.

Félix, F., & Guzmán, H. M. (2014). Satellite Tracking and Sighting Data Analyses of Southeast Pacific Humpback

Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): Is the Migratory Route Coastal or Oceanic?. Aquatic Mammals, 40(4), 329.

Guzmán, H. M. & Félix, F. (2017). Movements and Habitat Use by Southeast Pacific Humpback Whales (Megaptera

novaeangliae) Satellite Tracked at Two Breeding Sites. Aquatic Mammals, 43(2), 139-155.

Guzmán, H.M., Condit, R., Pérez-Ortega, B., Capella, J.J., & Stevick, P.T. (2014). Population size migratory

connectivity of humpback whales wintering in Las Perlas Archipielago, Panama. Marine Mammal Science, 31(1), 90-

105. 17.

Guzmán, H. M., Gómez C.G., Guevara, C.A., & L. Kleivane. (2012). Potential vessel collisions with southern

hemisphere humpback whales wintering off Pacific Panama. Marine Mammal Science. 29:629-642. 9.

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Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco, J. D., Oviedo, L., & Iñíguez, M. (2015). Análisis espacial de los hábitats

críticos del delfín nariz de botella (Tursiops truncatus) y la ballena jorobada (Megaptera novaeangliae) en el Golfo

Dulce, Costa Rica: Consideraciones acerca de un proyecto de construcción de marina. Revista Ciencias Marinas y

Costeras, 8(1), 9-27.

Mattila, D. K., Clapham, P. J., Vásquez, O., & Bowman, R. S. (1994). Occurrence, population composition, and

habitat use of humpback whales in Samana Bay, Dominican Republic. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 72(11), 1898-

1907.

Mobley Jr, J. R., & Herman, L. M. (1985). Transience of social affiliations among humpback whales (Megaptera

novaeangliae) on the Hawaiian wintering grounds. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 63(4), 762-772.

Morete, Maria E., Tatiana L. Bisi, and Sergio Rosso. "Temporal pattern of humpback whale (Megaptera

novaeangliae) group structure around Abrolhos Archipelago breeding region, Bahia, Brazil." Journal of the Marine

Biological Association of the United Kingdom 87, no. 01 (2007): 87-92.

Morete, M. E., Pace Iii, R. M., Martins, C. C. A., Freitas, A. C., & Engel, M. H. (2003). Indexing seasonal abundance

of humpback whales around Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 2(1),

21-28.

Oviedo, L., Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco, J. D., Figgener, C., Márquez-Artavia, A., & Iñíguez, M. (2015).

Diversidad de cetáceos en el paisaje marino costero de Golfo Dulce, Península de Osa, Costa Rica. Rev. Biol.,

Trop, 63(2), 395-406.

Rasmussen, K., & Palacios, D. M. (2013). Update on Humpback Whale Research in the Gulf of Chiriquí. Western

Panama. SC/65b/SH15 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, June.

Scheidat, M., Castro, C., Denkinger, J., González, J., &, D. Adelung. (2000). A breeding area for humpback whales

(Megaptera novaeangliae) off Ecuador. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 2(3), 165-172.

Smith, T. D., Allen, J., Clapham, P. J., Hammond, P. S., Katona, S., Larsen, F., ... & Stevick, P. T. (1999). An

ocean‐basin‐wide mark‐recapture study of the North Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Marine

Mammal Science, 15(1), 1-32.

Smultea, M. A. (1994). Segregation by humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) cows with a calf in coastal

habitat near the island of Hawaii. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 72(5), 805-811.

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Project Impacts Report contributions in the categories below for the past fielding year.

1. Increasing Scientific Knowledge

a. Total citizen science research hours - provide an estimate for the number of hours per day that

volunteers spent collecting data, being trained to collect data in the field, and performing data

entry.

During 2016 we have had the total amount of citizen science research hours spent in 2015 were 478

hours, distributed as follow:

Boat surveys: searching for whales and dolphins in Golfo Dulce (most of this was spent in

the inner basin and sill areas of Golfo Dulce) 220 hours

Data processing of Photo ID pictures= 162 hours

Volunteer Training on Task= 98 hours

b. Peer-reviewed publications

We have produced the following publications, where the support of Earthwatch has been crucial and properly

acknowledged:

Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco, J. D., Oviedo, L., & Iñíguez, M. (2015). Análisis espacial de los

hábitats críticos del delfín nariz de botella (Tursiops truncatus) y la ballena jorobada (Megaptera

novaeangliae) en el Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica: Consideraciones acerca de un proyecto de construcción de

marina. Revista Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, 8(1), 9-27.

Oviedo, L. Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco, D., Figgener, C. Marquez-Artavia, A., Quirós Pereira, W.

and M. Iñiguez. (2015). Diversidad de cetáceos en el paisaje marino-costeros de Golfo Dulce, Península de

Osa, Costa Rica. Revista de Biología Tropical.

Pacheco-Polanco, D., Herra-Miranda, D., Oviedo, L., Quirós Pereira, W and C. Figgener (2015).

Agregaciones de alimentación del tiburón ballena, Rhincodon typus (Orectolobiformes: Rhincodontidae) en

Golfo Dulce, Península de Osa, Costa Rica. Revista de Biología Tropical, 63, 299 – 306

Bessesen, B., Oviedo, L., Burdett Hart, L., Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco J.D., Baker, L., Saborío-R,

G., Bermúdez-Villapol, L. & A. Acevedo-Gutiérrez 2014. Lacaziosis-like disease among bottlenose dolphins

Tursiops truncatus photographed in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. Diseases of Aquatic Organism, 107: 173-180.

In preparation / in review

Pacheco-Polanco, D., Oviedo, L. Herra-Miranda, D. and M. Fernandez. Spatial Analysis on The Occurrence

of Inshore and Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Osa Peninsula Waters and Golfo Dulce,

Costa Rica. This manuscript has been sent to the “Journal of Cetacean Research and Management” of

the International Whaling Commission on the 29 June 2016.

Oviedo, L., Fernandez, M., Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco, D., Hernández-Camacho, C. and D.

Aurioles. Habitat partitioning mediates the coexistence of sympatric dolphins in a tropical fjord. This

manuscript has been sent to the Journal “Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science” on the 28 September

2016.

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Oviedo, L., Herra-Miranda, D., Goodman, S., Pacheco-Polanco, D. and M. Fernandez. The distribution of

oceanic odontocetes (Delphinidae, Kogiidae, Ziphidae) in transitional oceanic waters off Osa Peninsula,

Costa Rica. This manuscript has been sent to the journal “Marine Biodiversity Records” on the 18 May

2017.

Sanchez Robledo, E., Herra-Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco D., Goodman, S. and L. Oviedo. Habitat use of

false killer whales in the Nicoya and Panama Bight Ecoregions. In preparation.

Pacheco-Polanco, D., Herra-Miranda,D. and L. Oviedo. Using top predators distribution to monitor habitat

degradation in Golfo Dulce Costa Rica. In preparation.

Marquez-Artavia, A., Oviedo, L., Herra Miranda, D., Pacheco-Polanco, D., Figgener, C. and H. Guzman. The

habitat use of southeast Pacific humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. In

preparation.

Oviedo, L., Herra-Miranda, D. Pacheco-Polanco, D., Marquez-Artavia, A., Fernández, M., Hernandez-

Camacho, C. and D. Aurioles. The population size and structure of inshore bottlenose dolphins in a tropical

fjord. In preparation (LO PhD Dissertation Chapter 3a).

Oviedo, L., Herra-Miranda, D. Pacheco-Polanco, D., Marquez-Artavia, A., Fernández, M., Hernandez-

Camacho, C. and D. Aurioles. The habitat use of pantropical spotted dolphins in a tropical fjord In

preparation (LO PhD Dissertation Chapter 3b).

c. Non-peer reviewed publications: Technical reports, white papers, articles, sponsored or personal

blogs

1. Working Paper SC/66a/SM/16: Oviedo, L. Herra-Miranda, D. Pacheco-Polanco, D. and M. Fernandez. Spatial

Analysis on The Occurrence of Inshore and Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Osa Peninsula

Waters and Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

2. Working Paper SC/66a/E/09: Herra-Miranda, D., Oviedo, L., Pacheco-Polanco, J.D. and M. Iñiguez. Spatial

analysis of coastal cetaceans’ critical habitats in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica: considerations for a marina

construction project

d. Presentations : indicate if this was an invited paper, panel presentation, keynote speech, plenary

address, or other.

1.- Review on the Wintering Critical habitats of Megaptera novaeangliae of the Southern Pacific of

Costa Rica. Panel Presentation by Lenin Oviedo in Workshop 3: Conservation of Humpback whales

in Mexico (Pacific side) through Panama including Costa Rica: “The 4th International Conference

of Marine Mammals and Protected Areas (ICMMPA)” held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 13-17 of

November 2016.

2.- Cetaceans’ conservation in a tropical fjord: a decade of citizen-science based research in Golfo

Dulce, Costa Rica. Panel Presentation by Lenin Oviedo in Workshop 5: Stakeholder engagement

– Science and Conservation: “The 4th International Conference of Marine Mammals and Protected

Areas (ICMMPA)” held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 13-17 November 2016.

3.- Las ventajas de ser residente: perspectivas del estudio de delfines simpátricos en Golfo Dulce

Costa Rica (The advantages of being resident: perspectives on the study of sympatric dolphins in

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Golfo Dulce Costa Rica). Invited paper presented by Lenin Oviedo to the III Scientific Congress

on Marine Science –Universidad Maritima Internacional de Panama (UMIP).

4.-Uso de hábitat del delfín dientes rugosos en el Pacífico Sur de Costa Rica (Habitat use of rough-

tooth dolphins in the Southern Pacific of Costa Rica). Oral Presentation by David Herra-Miranda

to the III Scientific Congress on Marine Science –Universidad Maritima Internacional de Panama

(UMIP).

e. Mentoring

a. Graduate students – list graduate students doing thesis work on the project and include

student CVs and their research proposal on file with the university as an attachment when

you submit your annual report

Student Name Graduate Degree Project Title Anticipated Year

of Completion

Veronica

Cereceres

BSc. Behavioral ecology of inshore

bottlenose dolphins

2018

Erika Sanchez

Robledo

BSc. Habitat use of Pseudorca

crassidens in Golfo Dulce and

Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

2016

b. Community outreach – provide details on how you have supported the development of

environmental leaders in the community in which you work.

Name of school,

organization, or

group

Education level Participants local

or non-local

Details on contributions/

activities

Rana (Parnertship with

Former Community

Fellow Jonathan Abellan Vega)

Varied Locals Workshop on:

1) Recycling

2) Dolphins and whales

3) The Marine Habitat of Osa

f. Partnerships – list your current active professional partnerships that contribute to your project and

indicate the type of support these partners provide

Partner Support Type(s)1 Years of Association (e.g.

2006-present)

ACOSA-MINAET The local Delegation of the Ministry of

Environment for Osa Peninsula

Conservation Area: Permits

2005- Present

OSA CONSERVATION A leading NGO supporting the 2013-Present

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conservation of Osa Peninsula Natural

Heritage: Collaboration

UNIVERSIDAD

NACIONAL DE COSTA

RICA

School of Biological Science with

departments on Oceanography and Marine

Biology and a Master Program on Coastal

and Marine Science: Academic Support

2005-Present

SALADERO ECOLODGE One of the prime ecolodges promoting

real sustainability in Golfo Dulce. Also a

key operator on dolphin watching

excursions: Collaboration, Cultural

Support

2013-Present

UNIVERSIDAD MARÍTIMA

INTERNACIONAL DE

PANAMA (UMIP)

An international partner to work on

humpback whale research and

conservation both in Costa Rica and

Panama: Collaboration, Academic Support

2014-Present

SMITHSONIAN

TROPICAL RESEARCH

INSTITUTE (STRI)

An international partner to work on

humpback whale research and

conservation both in Costa Rica and

Panama: Academic Support, Technical

Support, Collaboration

2015-Present

g. Contributions to management plans or policies - list the management plans/policies to which

your project contributed this year

Plan/Policy

Name

Type2 Level of

Impact3

New or

Existing?

Primary goal of

plan/policy4

Stage of plan/policy5

Ship Trafic

Separation

Scheme

Policy Local-Regional New 1) Species

conservation

2) Other: ecosystem

Service Conservation

along the Nicoya

Ecoregion

In progress the traffic

separation scheme

will be adopted

But locations are still

being define by June

2017

Description of Contribution: This environmental policy will be adopted primarily for

preservation of the critical calving habitat of humpback whales, to mitigate potential

collision due to maritime traffic associated with the advent of the Nicaragua Canal and

the new widening of the existing Panama Canal in addition to local maritime traffic in

CR waters. The proposal was supported by the satellite and field data on humpback

whales produced by the partnership between CEIC and Dr. Hector Guzman (STRI)

h. Conserving natural and sociocultural capital

a. Conservation of taxa –

i. List any focal species that you did not list in your most recent proposal

Species IUCN Red

List category

Local/regional

conservation status

Local/regional conservation

status source

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Humpback

Whale

Least

Concern

None None

Description of Contribution: We are

maintaining populations of coastal

cetaceans: A migratory species:

Humpback Whale (Megaptera

novaeangliae), populations from the

Pacific Northeast (M. n. kuzira) and

Southeast Pacific (M. n. australis).

Resulting Effect: Improved habitat

for species.

Maintained/enhanced genetic

diversity, other

Bottlenose

Dolphin

Least

Concern

None None

We are maintaining populations of coastal

cetaceans: Coastal bottlenose dolphins

(Tursiops truncatus), potentially a key

genetic pool for the entire ecological

race of the species in Costa Rica.

Improved habitat for species

Maintained/enhanced genetic

diversity, other

Pantropical

Spotted

Dolphin

Least

Concern Migratory Species requiring international cooperation

CMS: Convention Migratory Species

Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), this species was targeted by the tuna fishery and suffered population decline due to purse seine fishery. Populations are yet to recover in the ETP. Our population of spotted dolphins could be a very local ecotype.

Improved habitat for species

Maintained/enhanced genetic

diversity, other

ii. In the past year, has your project helped conserve or restore populations of species

of conservation significance? If so, please describe below.

Species IUCN Red

List

category

Local/regional

conservation

status

Local/regional

conservation

status source

Description of

contribution

Resulting

effect6

Rhynoptera

steindachneri

Near

Threaten

-.- -.- Sympatric on

critical habitats of

inshore bottlenose

dolphins

A new focus

of

assessment

to support

protection of

habitat

15

Aetobatus

narinari

Near

Threaten

-.- -.- Sympatric on

critical habitats of

inshore bottlenose

dolphins

A new focus

of

assessment

to support

protection of

habitat

b. Conservation of ecosystems – in the past year, has your project helped conserve or restore

habitats? If so, please describe below.

Habitat type Habitat significance7 Description of contribution Resulting effect8

Mangrove nursery, breeding

ground, feeding site

We have identified all major

mangrove associated estuaries

as the critical habitat of the

inshore bottlenose dolphins.

Showing the relevance of this

habitats in all the trophic

levels in the marine

ecosystem

extent maintained

Coast nursery, breeding

ground, refuge, feeding

site

We identified the relevance of

the coastal habitats for

humpback whales calving and

reproduction, as well as a

foraging ground for bottlenose

dolphins

extent maintained

Pelagic feeding site We have identified the inner

basin of GD, as the critical

habitat of pantropical spotted

dolphins. Showing the

relevance of this habitats in

all the trophic levels in the

marine ecosystem

extent maintained

c. Ecosystem services – Indicate which ecosystem service categories you are directly studying

in your Earthwatch research and provide further details in the box below.

☐Food and water ☐Flood and disease control

☐Spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits xNutrient cycling

Details:

There are two main ecosystem services we focus in particular; Carbon Off-setting and Biodiversity Preservation: The critical habitats of our target species are key areas for carbon retention, such as mangrove forest along river mouths and the anoxic basin of Golfo Dulce. Those areas are along with the transitional oceanic area of Golfo Dulce, crucial in the preservation of the eco-dynamic processes, sustaining the whole marine

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biodiversity, not only in Golfo Dulce, but in the whole Osa Peninsula. We also support by our actions the aesthetic value of Golfo Dulce and promote the adoption of sustainable practices to enhance eco-tourism as an alternative for local communities

Acknowledgements

The staff of Safeguarding Whales and Dolphins Costa Rica deeply appreciate the support of all the staff at the

Earthwatch Office, especially from our (very awesome) Project Manager Caroline Dunn.