The marine environment is more and more subjected to pressures and impacts due to human activity. The cetaceans are top food chain predators, therefore they constitute an important element of the marine ecosystem, whose conservation is fundamental and essential. Besides their biological importance, the cetaceans have in islands communities an economical and cultural importance, where the Whale Watching activity prevails.

Physeter macrocephalus

In general, the good conservation state of the marine environment in the Macaronesian archipelagos implies a strong attention in order to promptly detect negative impacts that could be inflicted to cetaceans and to the marine environment. Therefore, it is important the development of studies, monitoring and environmental education, which can contribute to detection, assessment and impacts correction.

The EMECETUS Project defined a group of activities in order to monitor cetaceans populations and the environmental parameters according to which they are structured.