Area of Study: Guanches of the Sea: The pilot whales of Tenerife

This project was focused on short finned pilot whales in the Teno-Rasca strip in South West Tenerife. In this researched we focused on the conservation status of short finned pilot whales, explored the threats they are facing today and proposed solutions.

Teno-Rasca is a recognised marine area of great value and has been awarded titles like that of Whale Heritage Site and Kilometre 0 for whales, due to its high biodiversity, housing not only the resident 400 pilot whale individuals, but also 1/3 of all cetacean species and other marine animals. Despite this status the threats facing today are multiple, complicated and almost exclusively anthropogenic. Marine traffic is the main threat to the species, causing increased stress levels, extreme noise pollution and even collisions, resulting to the threatened status of these animals who are not only extremely intelligent and emotional, but also a symbol of the Island of Tenerife.

For these threats we proposed multifaceted solutions varying from the implementation of AIS for monitoring, to the designation of routes for vessels, speed limits, no take zones and educational campaigns, all of which as listed and analysed in the 3d film.

For our research we conducted field work in the ports of the Teno-Rasca strip, interviews with people working closely with the whales and tourists, and participatory observation on whale watching boats.