What happens when the conservation of a charismatic animal has negative impacts on human well-being? Researcher Tara Sayuri Whitty will discuss this dilemma through the lens of the vaquita, the most endangered marine mammal in the world, and the gillnet ban established by the Mexican government to protect it. This ban impacts people in the region who rely on fishing as a main source of income. Researchers have interviewed fishers, community members, government agencies, and conservation groups to help determine what should happen for communities and vaquita conservation in the future. Whitty will explain how improved communication, participatory research, conflict resolution, and joint efforts to improve community well-being would improve the chances of saving the vaquita. This can be a valuable model for conservation around the world.

Whitty is a National Science Foundation Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability Fellow and Conservation Assessment Scholar at the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she is in the Gulf of California Marine Program. She is also the founder of the Small-scale & Artisanal Fisheries Research Network.

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