|
Background
Whale shark watching started gaining popularity back on 2011 but its origins started way before long.
Fisherman in Tan-awan, a branagay in Oslob, would lure whale sharks using small shrimps encouraging the sharks to go near the shore. Words of mouth spread after people witness this operation and soon, people started paying the fishermen to aid them in seeing the sharks. PROBLEM
Whale shark provisioning raises concerns on their physical and psychological health. Firstly boat collisions with the shark, causing wound and injuries. Second, Lack of nutrition due to limited food choices that they use to feed the sharks. And lastly, it changes their natural behavior specifically the migration pattern which is essential to the sharks as it helps them to hunt food, seek shelter, and for reproduction purposes.
But shutting down the business in Oslob won't really solve the problem but just create another one as the whale shark watching is one of the primary source of income of the locals and fishermans. The problem lies with the amount of support and awareness they currently have. There are limited NGO's and LGU's that are currently supporting the business and there is at least a marine biologist that once a year monitors the sharks. OBJECTIVES AND AUDIENCE
The purpose of this study is to identify what aspects Oslob, Cebu whale shark tourism can improve on as a sustainable business and conservation efforts. With the findings as a basis, create an engaging card game to represent the current system of tourism of the said area to create a better awareness regarding the subject matter.
By shedding light to a more sustainable whale shark watching site in Oslob this may encourage changes to the site and provide opportunities for support from Non-Governmental Organization(NGO), Marine Experts, and Local Government Unit(LGU), in which will benefit not only the whale sharks but also the locals that manages the site. How did the game represent Oslob, Cebu?
By incorporating real life scenarios and effects on whale sharks into the game mechanics and giving players different ways to work around it, gives an idea how tourism in Oslob function.
Why a Card game?
Card games offer an engaging and dynamic entertainment, when played with multiple people it tends to be interactive or collaborative making learning a good approach as it makes it more memorable and effective. The medium is also considered casual making it more accessible to people with no experience on table top games. Additionally, based on the data gathered by the researchers nearly all respondents preferred card game as a medium.
How did the game help In raisING awareness?
By representing the day to day activies of the whale shark tourism in Oslob, this will raise awareness and provide opportunites for the locals, tourist, and oranizations to help the industry as well as push conservation efforts.
Current Organizations in Oslob
Possible Organizations that can help Oslob
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR WHALE SHARK CONSERVATION:
• Large Marine Vertebrates (LAMAVE) Research Institute - A Filipino non-government organization dedicated to the conservation of marine megafauna. • Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP) - A non-profit, non-stock conservation organization that aims to develop a better appreciation of the marine environment, its ecological processes and how it affects all of us through activities that focus on long-lived marine animals. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR WHALE SHARK CONSERVATION: • Friend Of The Sea - A program of the World Sustainability Organization, to protect aquatic habitats. ◦ Save the Sharks Marine Conservation Project • Marine Megafauna Foundation - A globally recognized marine conservation non-profit focused on protecting the most endangered ocean giants, and the habitats they call home. ◦ Global Whale Shark Research & Conservation Program (PH not included) • Projects cover: ◦ Photo-identification ◦ Tagging and Tracking ◦ Telemetry ◦ Stereo-videography ◦ Ecotourism - Code of conduct within the whale shark tourism industry. ◦ Biochemical Analysis ◦ Reproductive and Health Assessment • Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) - A research-based conservation charity dedicated to studying the whale shark and fostering community-focused conservation initiatives in the Maldives. ◦ Whale Shark Conservation Project ◦ Fosters community-focused conservation initiatives and conducts research on whale shark biology and ecology, and sustainable tourism. why WE Recommend a biologist or marine expert
We highly recommend a biologist to monitor if possible on a daily basis due to their expertise in conservation on marine life, their knowledge could be used in educating the local community and tourist in sustainable practices specially in the long-term. They would play a crucial role in balancing Oslob's environmental sustainability.
Being aware
Staying informed and understanding the importance of whale sharks and it's essential role in sustaining the locals will help you appreciate the need for their protection. Additionally it will help tourist on making responsible decisions that contributes on sustaining the industry.
Follow rules
While rules by definition is meant to be followed but we can't stress it enough to always adhere to the local guidelines and regulations when visiting the site. As it would benefit the whale sharks health.
Support conseRvation efforts
By supporting conservation projects, you are actively ensuring the long-term survival of whale sharks
|
|
Contact Us |
Follow Us
|
