Saving the Gray Whale: People, Politics, and Conservation in Baja California

by Serge Dedina

Overview

Once hunted by whalers and now the darling of ecotourists, the gray whale has become part of the culture, history, politics, and geography of Mexico's most isolated region. After the harvesting of gray whales was banned by international law in 1946, their populations rebounded; but while they are no longer hunted for their oil, these creatures are now chased up and down the lagoons of southern Baja California by whalewatchers. This book uses the biology and politics associated with gray whales in Mexican waters to present an unusual case study in conservation and politics. It provides an inside look at how gray whale conservation decisions are made in Mexico City and examines how those policies and programs are carried out in the calving grounds of San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena Bay, where catering to ecotourists is now an integral part of the local economy.

More than a study of conservation politics, Dedina's book puts a human face on wildlife conservation. The author lived for two years with residents of Baja communities to understand their attitudes about wildlife conservation and Mexican politics, and he accompanied many in daily activities to show the extent to which the local economy depends on whalewatching. "It is ironic," observes Dedina, "that residents of some of the most isolated fishing villages in North America are helping to redefine our relationship with wild animals. Americans and Europeans brought the gray whale population to the brink of extinction. The inhabitants of San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena Bay are helping us to celebrate the whales' survival." By showing us how these animals have helped shape the lifeways of the people with whom they share the lagoons, Saving the Gray Whale demonstrates that gray whales represent both a destructive past and a future with hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816518463
Publisher:	University of Arizona Press
Publication date:	01/01/2000
Series:	Society, Environment, and Place
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	186
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Serge Dedina is co-founder and executive director of Wildcoast/Costa Salvaje, an international organization that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife. He earned his PhD in geography from the University of Texas and has been surfing since 1977.

What People are Saying About This

Ann Zwinger

Everyone who's ever patted a whale needs to read this....The gray whale is a symbol for one environmental success, but it may also symbolize the great perils of failure. Serge Dedina has written an excellent book, a must-read for all who think saving gray whales is a simple issue.
— (Ann Zwinger, author of A Desert Country Near the Sea: A Natural History of the Cape Region of Baja California)

Bruce Berger

Serge Dedina threads the social and political labyrinths that surround gray whale conservation in Baja California as densely as mangroves surround the breeding lagoons. Dedina's book is required reading for anyone who would understand contemporary man's interaction with the gray whale.
— (Bruce Berger, author of Almost an Island: Travels in Baja California)

Editorial Reviews

Focusing on the conservation of gray whales in Mexico, Dedina (geography, Univ. of Arizona) describes the natural history and life cycles of these animals, their habitat, and the human ecology of Scammon's Lagoon and San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California. Formerly director of the Baja California/Sea of Cortez Program for the Nature Conservancy, Dedina lived in the San Ignacio Lagoon area and interviewed residents on their attitudes toward wildlife conservation and Mexican politics. He also researched the archives of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Not as detailed in its discussion of the whale migration from Alaska or of whale physiology as The Gray Whale (Academic Pr., 1984), Dedina's book concentrates on the marine environmental movement in Mexico, which has resulted in an increased gray whale population since 1946. The whales are being threatened, however, by a proposed expansion of an existing saltwork in the area. The bibliography lists Spanish-language as well as English sources. For academic collections. (Illustrations and maps not seen.)--Judith Barnett, Pell Marine Science Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal

"This book is a 'must read' for anyone interested in the history of the eastern North Pacific gray whale or planning to go to Baja's lagoons to see the gray whales in the winter months."
—Whalewatcher

"Both informative and instructive and leaves the reader with considerable optimism about the future of the gray whale in Baja California and a broad-based Mexican conservation movement." —Environmental History

"If you love the Baja Peninsula and/or gray whales or cared about the recently finished battle to save Laguna San Ignacio from development by Mitsubishi, then this book is a 'must read.' . . . This book is rich with narrative description and personal passion." —Journal of Environment and Development

From the Publisher