'In 2011 Ian Rowlands and Dylan Walker had a dream: to create the biggest, most popular event of its kind and touch the hearts and minds of a huge audience, inspiring them to be an army of ambassadors to defend whales, dolphins, marine life and oceans.' In a very brief paragraph taken from the official site That’s WhaleFest.
My ramblings tend to be very ornithologically orientated, however I am a passionate advocate of pretty much anything Ecological or Conservational. With the prevalence of films such as Blackfish and The Cove and the televised work of Sea Sheppard in Whale Wars, Whale Fest is a natural progression in engaging with Naturalists and general public in highlighting the plight of some of the worlds most enigmatic, charismatic and endangered animals.
Cetaceans are apex predators in their eco system, Apex predators play a major role keeping their ecosystems in check, known as ‘trophic dynamics.’ On land, or in the ocean, studies have shown that their removal can have a dramatic impact on the ecosystem and results in much larger problems. Reduction in the numbers of Apex predators results in an increase in meso-predators which causes a decline in prey populations. This is known as the ‘Top Down trophic cascade.’ Apex predators keep meso-predators at a reasonable number and ensure abundant prey populations.In short they are essential to ensuring a healthy and sustainable marine eco system.
Whalefests line up this year is nothing short of spectacular. Guest speakers include; Steve Backshall (Lost Land Series and Deadly 60), Gordon Buchanen(Natural History Film-maker) Monty Halls(Broadcaster) and Michaela Strachan(Spring/Winterwatch).
I have tickets for the Saturday for all the talks and I am very much looking forward to hearing from Gordon Buchanan and Steve Backshall who were both involved in one of my favourite documentary series Lost Land of.....
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| Lost Land of the Jaguar |
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